Most first marathons end with a sit-down and a very stiff walk home. Andreas Almgren of Sweden just joined the list of NYC Marathon winners, and he did it in his first marathon ever.
The 2026 TCS race on Sunday also gave American fans a podium finish they hadn’t seen in eight years.
Almgren finished the men’s race in 2:06:01, according to NBC Sports. Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy took second in 2:06:14, and Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho was third in 2:06:26.
Defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya ended up fourth, one second behind the podium. One second. That’s the kind of margin that keeps a person up at night.
A Debut That Beat the Veterans in the New York City Marathon Results
Here’s the thing: nobody wins New York on debut. The course is brutal, with five bridges and a long grind up Fifth Avenue. Almgren did it anyway, and he did it in style. That makes him one of the more surprising TCS marathon winners in years.
A lead group of 10 was still together at 35K, per Marathon Handbook. Almgren hit the 40K mark in 2:00:00, with Kipruto and Crippa less than two seconds behind him, according to FloTrack.
Then he went and found the gap. His winning margin was 13 seconds.
The AP says his time is the third fastest in the race’s 50-year history. He finished about a minute off the course record of 2:04:58, set by Tamirat Tola in 2023.
The résumé fits the result. NBC describes him as the 2025 world bronze medalist at 10,000 meters, and other outlets call him the World Half Marathon champion. NBC also reports he’s the first Swede to win New York. That claim appears only in NBC’s coverage so far, so treat it as NBC’s.
An American Is Back Among the NYC Marathon Champions
The women’s race had the better finish. Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui, 35, won in 2:24:36 for her second New York title. American Jess McClain was six seconds behind in 2:24:42.
McClain also passed defending champion Hellen Obiri in the final strides to grab second. Obiri was third in 2:24:43, so the margin for silver was well under a second. NBC reports it’s the first U.S. podium finish in New York, men or women, since Shalane Flanagan took third in 2018.
That’s a long drought for a country that loves this race. And McClain didn’t come out of nowhere. She set an American women’s course record at Boston in April.
Why the Women’s Time Looks Slow
Chepkirui’s winning time is far from last year’s. Obiri set the course record of 2:19:51 in 2025. This year’s race ran more than four minutes slower.
That points to a tactical race where the pack waited for the finish instead of chasing the clock. It also helps explain why the finish was so close. Among recent NYC Marathon winners, few have taken the title in such a tight sprint.
If you like races that come down to the final strides, this one delivered. College football fans got their own drama this weekend too, as Ohio State’s 30-18 loss at USC reshaped the playoff race.
More Winners From Sunday
The wheelchair races delivered too. Marcel Hug of Switzerland won his eighth New York title in 1:28:14. American Daniel Romanchuk was second, about a second back.
In the women’s wheelchair race, Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won in 1:40:02, with Americans Tatyana McFadden and Susannah Scaroni second and third.
American men also showed up in the men’s top 10, with Zouhair Talbi sixth and Ahmed Muhumed seventh, per FloTrack. Those placings round out a strong day in the New York City Marathon results for the U.S.
Big comebacks defined the weekend elsewhere, too. Gabby Williams delivered a Game 7 title for the Valkyries after a quiet first half.
What Happens Next for the NYC Marathon Winners
One caution: NBC marks these results as unofficial. Full searchable results are expected on the New York Road Runners results site. We’ll update if anything changes.
For now, the big question is what Almgren does with a marathon career that just started with a New York win. A Swede who beat the field on a course that punishes first-timers has nothing left to prove on debut.
Whoever lines up against him next will know it.
