{"id":390124,"date":"2026-11-01T21:26:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T21:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/390124\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T21:26:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T21:26:30","slug":"top-moments-from-the-new-york-city-marathon-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/390124\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Moments From the New York City Marathon 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated November 1, 2026 02:09PM<\/p>\n

How we reported this: Senior Digital Editor Ali Nolan and Outside Run Contributor Derek Call are on the ground, reporting live from the finish line in Central Park. They\u2019ve been on the ground all weekend \u2014 interviewing pros, talking runners, and (of course) petting spectating dogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On a perfectly crisp autumn morning in New York, a stellar elite field stood on the starting line of the New York City Marathon. The sun gleamed off the Verrazzano with temps in the upper 40s for both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s races.<\/p>\n

What happened next? American history. An epic debut by a Swede. A gutsy Italian. Masters running glory. And that doesn\u2019t even cover the 60,000 amateur entrants who were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the race course changing to cover the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

If you missed the action, we\u2019ve got you covered. Live from New York, here is (almost) everything that happened at the New York City Marathon.<\/p>\n

\"JessJess McClain kicks in the final 200 meters of the 2026 New York City Marathon. Photo: Derek Call McClain Places Second\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Jess McClain missed making the Olympic team by 15 seconds. On Sunday, she continued her marathon revenge tour, making history by becoming the first American woman to podium in New York since Shalane Flanagan came in third in 2018.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old American from Arizona <\/a>finished second at the New York City Marathon in 2:24:42, outkicking defending champion Hellen Obiri, who took third in 2:24:43.<\/p>\n

All eyes were on McClain going into the race after she dropped a 2:20:49 at Boston in April, the fastest Boston ever run by an American woman.<\/p>\n

Before the race, she told Outside Run that she often gets nervous until race weekend, when she lets the energy take over. Her attitude during the race is pretty zen: \u201cI always stress that the mile you\u2019re in that\u2019s tough isn\u2019t going to be that way forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

That worked perfectly since the middle of the race was a struggle for her, she told reporters afterwards. She wasn\u2019t feeling her best. But she just kept pushing.<\/p>\n

By the last 400 meters, she kept telling herself that no matter what, she was going to hammer it home. Obiri would say after the race that she didn\u2019t realize McClain was on her heels because she was coming so fast in the final 200m. In the race\u2019s final meters, McClain edged past Obiri to take home second place, just six seconds behind race winner Sheila Chepkirui.<\/p>\n

Top Americans From 2016-2025
\nYearTop American MenTop American Woman2016Abdi Abdirahman, 3rd (2:11:23)Molly Huddle, 3rd (2:28:13)2017Abdi Abdirahman, 7thShalane Flanagan, 1st (2:26:53)2018Jared Ward, 6th (2:12:24)Shalane Flanagan, 3rd (2:26:22)2019 Jared Ward, 6th (2:10:45)Des Linden, 6th (2:27:51)2021Ben True, 7th (2:122:13)Molly Seidel, 4th (2:24:42)2022Scott Fauble, 9th (2:13:35) Aliphine Tuliamuk, 7th (2:26:18) 2023Futsum Zienasellassie, 10th (2:12:09)Kellyn Taylor, 8th (2:29:48)2024Conner Mantz, 6th (2:09:00)Sara Vaughn, 6th (2:26:56)2025Joel Reichow, 5th (2:09:56) Fiona O\u2019Keeffe, 4th (2:22:49)\"AlmgrenThe men’s winner, Andreas Almgren. Photo: Derek Call A Debutant Wins the Men\u2019s Race\u00a0<\/p>\n

Andreas Almgren said he\u2019d rather blow up chasing the win than play it safe. In his first-ever marathon, he never had to choose. The 31-year-old from Sweden, who won the world half marathon title in a European-record 58:06 just six weeks ago, finished first in 2:06:01.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I finish eighth but I\u2019m in the front group with 5K left and then I just completely blow up, I\u2019m going to be more happy with that,\u201d he said before the race. But the track star was still there at the end. Throughout the race, his strategy was to follow and cover moves rather than leading the race himself. It worked.<\/p>\n

A lot of people wanted to know why this speedy 10K runner would choose New York as his first 26.2. The answer? He was inspired by last year\u2019s marathon. After spectating that race, he texted his manager and said: \u201cI want to do this next year.\u201d Of course, his manager replied, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d What was a spontaneous interaction turned out to be a pretty good decision.<\/p>\n

\"EdnaForty-six year old Edna Kiplagat kicks to place fourth in the New York City Marathon. Photo: Derek CallKiplagat Still Putting Up Results at 46\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve followed the sport for a while, you know that Edna Kiplagat<\/a>, the 2010 New York City Marathon champion, is always a contender. But this year, it was at times incomprehensible to see her with the lead pack \u2014 at 46 years old \u2014 running stride for stride, sometimes running in the middle of the road, very much running a race apart from the other women.<\/p>\n

In a year that saw both the Williams sisters make a comeback and Galen Rupp set the American masters record in Chicago, it seems that 40 is the new 30 and 46 is the new \u2026 well, if Kiplagat can throw down a 2:25:42, it\u2019s certainly far from over the hill.<\/p>\n

\"a Photo: Courtesy of Roberta GronerAn American Master Crushes Her Goal\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking of getting better with age, American runner Roberta Groner, 48, who told Outside Run <\/a>that she stepped away from the sport for more than 10 years after the passing of her stepbrother, achieved the incredible goal of running an Olympic Trials Qualifying time (sub-2:37) at the New York City Marathon: 2:35:55, placing 20th overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m reaching closer to 50, I still love running,\u201d Groner said before the race. \u201cI want to keep following this career journey through to see what I could do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ZouhairZouhair Talbi in Central Park at the 2026 New York City Marathon. Photo: Derek CallZouhair Talbi Is (Unsurprisingly) the Top American Man\u00a0<\/p>\n

Six months after running the fastest marathon ever by an American, Zouhair Talbi proved that Boston was no fluke. The 31-year-old American, who was born in Morocco and became a U.S. citizen last year after enlisting in the Army Reserve, finished sixth at the New York City Marathon on Sunday in 2:06:43, the top American in a deep U.S. field.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, you got to just forget who they are and just compete that day, because you never know who\u2019s fit that day,\u201d Talbi told Outside Run before the race when asked about his competition.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, he was one of the fittest, for sure, but admitted he was frustrated by a slower pace than he wanted, which was the reason for his surges at the halfway point.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thought process was like, I might do a move, and someone will follow me, or two, and we\u2019ll be like, okay, we\u2019re gonna exchange the lead, and we\u2019re gonna make it a fast pace,\u201d he said from the press conference stage. While he didn\u2019t regret mixing it up, he lamented that he didn\u2019t feel as fresh as he would\u2019ve liked to be toward the end of the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the move happened in the last three miles, I did not take the move as fresh as I wanted to, so I was already tired going with them,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd they were just hanging in there the whole time, so I was not in control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MuhumedAhmed Muhumed runs his first marathon at the 2026 New York City Marathon. Photo: Derek CallDebut Success from an American \u201cMade for the Marathon\u201d<\/p>\n

When we talked to U.S. athlete Ahmed Muhumed before the race<\/a>, he said emphatically, \u201cI am made for the marathon.\u201d And to run a 2:07:09 in his first race, in New York, holding on to unpredictable surges, and working from within a deep pack, we have to agree. As the second American, coming in eighth overall, the joyful tactician has a bright marathon career ahead of him.<\/p>\n

The American men continue to make strides, especially heading into 2028. While American Record Holder in the men\u2019s marathon, Conner Mantz, had a rough race \u2014 saying he started feeling sick last Sunday and struggling through a marathon pace mile-repeat workout on Tuesday \u2014 we know when he\u2019s in top form he will push the field even more. In addition to these three, be on the lookout for 29-year-old Ryan Ford, who was thrilled with his 2:07:09 10th place finish. He only feels like he will get more confident.<\/p>\n

\"ACarrie Ellwood battles through to the NYCM. Photo: Derek CallThe American Women Working Together\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jess McClain wasn\u2019t the only American running at the front of the New York City Marathon. A total of four American women placed in the top 10. Several Americans, including Annie Friebee, Lauren Hagans, and Amanda Vestri, kept close to the leaders in the first half, when the pack was still running a conservative pace. Coming off the Queensboro Bridge, the women dropped a 5:24 mile and hit First Avenue\u2019s wall of sound with McClain, Weini Kelati, Carrie Elwood, and Paige Wood shoulder to shoulder with the Kenyan women.<\/p>\n

Elwood came into the race as an \u201cunderdog,\u201d in her words. McClain was the favorite, and Kelati\u2019s debut created all the buzz. But being underestimated, Ellwood says, is where she thrives. Her place as second American and sixth overall (2:26:28) definitely made a statement for 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated November 1, 2026 02:09PM How we reported this: Senior Digital Editor Ali Nolan and Outside Run Contributor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390125,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,17886,12769,141413,12771],"class_list":["post-390124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-parent_category-news","tag-tag-new-york-city-marathon","tag-tag-new-york-city-marathon-2026","tag-type-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}