Andreas Almgren of Sweden and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the New York City Marathon 2026 on Sunday, with Almgren securing a historic first victory for his country.
Almgren finished the men's race in 2:06:01, marking the first time a Swedish runner has won the New York City Marathon or any major marathon, according to NBC Sports.
While the top spots went to international athletes, the event ended a long drought for the United States. Jess McClain finished second in the women's race, marking the first time a U.S. runner, male or female, has reached the podium in New York City since 2018.
Who won the New York City Marathon 2026?
In the men's elite division, Andreas Almgren won in his marathon debut. The 2025 World 10,000m bronze medalist finished 13 seconds ahead of Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy, who took second place.
Sheila Chepkirui won the women's race with a time of 2:24:36, prevailing by six seconds over Jess McClain. This victory represents Chepkirui's second title in three years, according to NBC Sports.
The wheelchair races were dominated by Switzerland. Marcel Hug won his eighth men's title, finishing one second ahead of American Daniel Romanchuk.
Catherine Debrunner won the women's wheelchair race, her second title, finishing 8:25 ahead of Tatyana McFadden of the U.S.
Who is Jess McClain runner?
Jess McClain is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, who finished second in the women's elite field. She overtook two-time champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya by 41 hundredths of a second in the final strides of the race, according to NBC Sports.
McClain previously finished fourth in both the marathon and the 10,000m at the 2024 Olympic Trials. She was also the top American finisher at the Boston Marathon in both 2025 and 2026.
At age 36, McClain is considered a contender to qualify for her first Olympics at the March 2028 Olympic Trials in St. Louis.
What were the results of the New York City Marathon 2026?
The results showed strong performances from U.S. athletes despite the undulating course, which is known for producing the slowest times among major American marathons.
Zouhair Talbi was the top U.S. male finisher, placing sixth with a time of 2:06:43. This time is faster than the 1981 American course record of 2:08:13 set by Alberto Salazar, according to NBC Sports.
Talbi, who finished 35th for Morocco in the Paris Olympic marathon, joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 2025. He has gained U.S. citizenship and will be eligible for a nationality switch for competition in August 2027.
At the 2026 Boston Marathon on April 20, Talbi ran a time of 2:03:45, the fastest marathon ever for a U.S. citizen, though Boston times are not record eligible due to the course layout, NBC Sports reported.
Other notable results include:
- Conner Mantz: 11th place (2:07:27)
- Edna Kiplagat: 4th place (age 46)
- Susannah Scaroni: 3rd place in women's wheelchair race, her first race since having a son on Aug. 6
The field was missing several top contenders. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Fiona O’Keeffe of the U.S. withdrew three weeks before the start due to sickness and left hamstring surgery, respectively, according to NBC Sports.
The New York City Marathon was the final World Marathon Major of 2026.