60,000 Runners Line Up for 50th New York City Marathon

The 50th New York City Marathon concluded Sunday with approximately 60,000 participants crossing the finish line.

Andreas Almgren of Sweden claimed the men's title in his first attempt at the full distance. He defeated Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy by 13 seconds, posting a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. This result stands as the third fastest in the race's 50-year history. Almgren is the first athlete to win their debut marathon in New York since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia did so in 2010. The top seven finishers all recorded times that rank in the all-time top 10 for the course.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya secured her second victory in the women's race. She outpaced Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36. American Jessica McClain took second place, passing Obiri in the final strides. McClain's result marks the first time a U.S. woman has finished in the top three since 2018. She finished six seconds behind Chepkirui.

The event marked a milestone for participation and diversity. Runners from more than 140 countries competed in the race. Nearly half of the 60,000 starters were women. In 1976, the seventh edition of the marathon, just over 2,000 people competed, including only 88 women. The race has run through all five boroughs of New York City for 50 consecutive years.

Organizers made a minor course adjustment for the first time in 15 years. The route at Mile 20, as runners entered the Bronx, was altered to reduce the number of turns from seven to five. This change aimed to ease street closures in that area. Defending men's champion Benson Kipruto finished fourth, just behind Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho. Kipruto had won last year by a margin of three-hundredths of a second.

Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time. He edged out Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second after Romanchuk took the lead in the final mile. Hug passed his competitor in the final 100 meters. Catherine Debrunner of Sweden won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02. This was the second-fastest time in race history, trailing her own 2023 record by about 30 seconds. Susannah Scaroni finished third, more than eight minutes behind the leader, three months after giving birth.