Collegiate cross country conference championships served as an appetizer to the five-course distance-running meal that is the 2026 New York City Marathon. There, American excellence and breakout performances stole the headlines.

Here are our top five stories from the weekend.

5. Jane Hedengren Earns Second Straight Big 12 Individual Title

Although the spectacle in New York gobbled up so much attention, collegiate cross country held its conference championships this week, and Jane Hedengren reminded the world who she was. Hedengren has had a stop-start season, including dealing with an illness, but she dominated the Big 12 Cross Country Championship to earn her second straight individual title.

Hedengren clocked a 19:28.0, lowering her previous best on the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The sophomore set the trails ablaze last season by firing off to a 2025 Big 12 Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year and NCAA Team Championship as a freshman, and looks poised to accomplish something similar this year.

Not only did Hedengren get a medal of her own, but her performance lifted BYU to the team title at the Big 12 Championship past a strong West Virginia squad. Hedengren and BYU are next set to run in the NCAA Mountain Regionals in November.

4. Zouhair Talbi Sets American Course Best In NYC

The duel between Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi became one of the biggest storylines entering the New York City Marathon, where Mantz came in holding the American record, but Talbi had the faster personal best.

However, once the cannon sounded in Staten Island, Talbi took the reins. Consistently near the front of the lead pack, the Moroccan-born marathoner kept a deep American contingent in the rearview mirror. Mantz, who had a disappointing 11th-place finish, said his legs just didn’t have it on Sunday.

Talbi took the opportunity and, well, ran with it. He crossed the finish line in 2:04:43, good for sixth in the entire race. While he is not yet eligible for American records while his eligibility switches over, he set an American course best with his performance.

3. Sheila Chepkirui Reclaims NYC Marathon Crown

Once the elite women’s field was trimmed down to a lead pack, it eventually became — so we thought — a duel between 2024 NYC Marathon champion Sheila Chepkirui and 2025 champ Hellen Obiri.

As the duumvirate made its way into Central Park, Chepkirui battled to keep the surging Obiri behind her. She was able to block her on one turn and then slowly increased the gap, eventually finishing in 2:24:36, six seconds ahead of second place.

The win put her in elite company, joining a club of nine other women with multiple NYC Marathon wins and drawing her level with her rival Obiri for two titles. The race was Chepkirui’s fourth marathon win and second this year.

2. Jess McClain Guts Out Incredible Second-Place Finish

As previously mentioned, it really seemed like the women’s race was coming down to Chepkirui and Obiri as they weaved through the greenery of Central Park. However, Jess McClain began to slowly close the gap, using exceptional tangents to shave milliseconds off her time here and there. 

The moment of splendor came once Chepkirui really pulled ahead, giving McClain a chance to surge. The Stanford grad unleashed an enormous kick, successfully hawking down the 2025 champ to finish in second place.

McClain ended up throwing down a 2:24:42, leading a strong group of American women — four of which finished in the top eight. McClain has now finished higher at every Marathon Major she has run since her debut in 2024.

1. Andreas Almgren Wins His Marathon Debut In NYC

Known primarily as a middle-distance track runner who has found World success in the 10,000m, Andreas Almgren was always going to run fast. But when he announced that his long-awaited marathon debut was taking place in New York City, not many expected the dominance that followed.

At the outset, Almgren was in the front of the lead men’s pack, duking it out with marathon experts like Benson Kipruto or runner-up Yemaneberhan Crippa. Almgren found his footing, though, and charged forward near the end of the race, crossing the finish line at 2:06:01 — 13 seconds clear of second place.

The performance immediately begs the question of what is still on the bone with Almgren as a long-distance runner. He credited his track background for his pace, which led him to the third-fastest time for the course, but with the 2028 Olympic Games rapidly approaching, Almgren seems firmly in the mix if he chooses to participate.

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