New York Marathon: Almgren Makes History on Debut, First European-Born Champion in 30 Years

At the New York City Marathon, Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the title on his very first marathon, clocking 2 hours 6 minutes 1 second and becoming the first European-born champion in 30 years. The 31-year-old Almgren beat Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa by 13 seconds, while Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo finished third. The total gap among the top three was just 25 seconds — an extremely rare margin in a long race like the marathon, and a clear sign that the title was decided in the final kilometres. Mofolo finished a further 12 seconds behind Crippa. The report gives only the gaps, but on that basis Crippa's time works out to 2:06:14 and Mofolo's to 2:06:26. In marathons the leading runners are usually separated by minutes, so three men finishing within 25 seconds shows this was a purely tactical race. Nobody tried to build a big lead early and everyone saved energy for the final phase. The 25-second spread also shows that no one managed to open a decisive gap during the race. In such a situation the runner who accelerates in the last two kilometres usually wins, and this time that role fell to Almgren. For Crippa and Mofolo it must have been frustrating, as they stayed in contention throughout but fell a few seconds short at the end. It has been a remarkable year for Almgren. In August he won the 10,000m gold at the European Championships, and in September he set a European half-marathon record. Those two performances had created natural anticipation around his first marathon in New York, and the Swede lived up to it by winning the title at the first attempt. The combination of his track speed and road endurance became one of the most talked-about stories of the season. The significance of Almgren's win goes beyond a single title. For several years European marathon runners have been considered weaker than African and North American athletes, especially in major road races. European runners who excel on the track often avoid stepping up to the marathon or struggle on their first attempt. Almgren broke that perception and showed that track speed and road endurance can be brought together. It is the first title by a European-born runner at the New York Marathon since Italy's Giacomo Leone won in 2026. For three decades the race was dominated mainly by African and North American runners, and Almgren's victory breaks that grip. It is worth noting that the achievement is recorded as that of a 'European-born' runner — that is, on the basis of birthplace, not country or nationality. The distinction matters because many runners who represent European countries in long-distance events were born in East Africa. Counted by nationality, the figure might look different, so the birthplace standard is itself a specific choice. After winning the title Almgren was overcome with emotion. 'I had the legs today,' he said. He also said he was about to start crying. Such a performance on a first marathon, followed by that emotional outburst, makes the story of this victory even more compelling. For a runner who had so far made his name mainly on the track and in half-marathons, taking on 42.195 kilometres for the first time and winning the title outright is extraordinary in itself. In the women's race, Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui won her second New York Marathon title in 2 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds. The 35-year-old Chepkirui beat America's Jessica McClain by six seconds, while Kenya's Hellen Obiri finished third, just one second further back. That means the total gap among the top three was only seven seconds — far tighter than in the men's race. It is worth noting that the women's race proved much closer than the men's, even though most of the attention focused on the men's title. The seven-second gap between Chepkirui and Obiri shows that the three were together in the final kilometres and that a single moment decided the order of the podium. McClain's second place was also welcome news for American fans, as she reached the podium as a home runner. This is Chepkirui's second New York title, reflecting her experience. Staying at the top level at 35 and winning again in one of the toughest city marathons is no easy feat. Her victory also shows that experienced runners deliver their best under pressure on the big stage and make better decisions in the final phase than less experienced rivals. After the win Chepkirui revealed her tactics and called Obiri a 'very strong' rival. Her remarks make clear that maintaining speed in the final stretch was decisive. Her comments provide the most information about the race as a whole, because elsewhere the report gives little detail about the women's competition. Obiri's identity and past achievements were also barely mentioned, although missing out by a single second shows she was a serious title contender too. The New York City Marathon is marking the 50th year of its historic route through the five boroughs — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The route has helped make the race one of the biggest city marathons in the world. Running across bridges, through distinct neighbourhoods and past huge crowds is a unique experience for every runner, and this edition has reached an important milestone in the event's history. Overall, this year's New York Marathon wrote a new story — the story of a runner who ran his first marathon and won the title outright, ending a 30-year wait. At the same time, the women's race reminded everyone that the real drama lies not in the gaps but in the tight contest that brought three runners onto the podium within seven seconds. Together, the two races proved that in a marathon the outcome is settled in the final few kilometres.