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Andreas Almgren continued his remarkable year by winning the New York Marathon men’s race on his debut over 26.2 miles. The 31-year-old Swede crossed the finish line in two hours, six minutes and one second.
Record-Breaking Victory in New York
Almgren previously broke the European half-marathon record in September and secured 10,000m gold at the European Athletics Championships in August. In New York, he finished 13 seconds ahead of Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, while Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo placed third, finishing another 12 seconds behind.
With this performance, Almgren became the first European-born man in 30 years to win the New York race, following Italy’s Giacomo Leone in 1996. Speaking about his victory, Almgren said, “I just thought, ‘I’ve got the legs today’. I’m about to start crying. It’s better than anything I could have ever imagined.”
Chepkirui Claims Women’s Title
In the women’s competition, Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui secured her second New York Marathon success. The 35-year-old completed the course in 2:24:36, finishing six seconds in front of American runner Jessica McClain, with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri taking third place one second further back.
Reflecting on the closing stages of the race, Chepkirui stated, “The last mile was really tricky and I had to be patient because I knew Hellen was really strong. I had to really push up to the finish line.”
Milestone Event and Notable Finishers
The event marked the 50th anniversary of the historic marathon, which spans New York’s five boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Among the other notable participants was retired footballer James Milner, who completed the course in 3:09.04.
Milner, a former Premier League champion with Manchester City and Liverpool, completed the first half of the race in 1:31 and the final 13 miles in 1:38, maintaining an average pace of 7:13 per mile.
