Andreas Almgren won the New York Marathon on his debut, completing the demanding five-borough course in 2:06:01. The 31-year-old Swede prevailed after a race featuring repeated changes of pace and became the first European-born winner since Italy’s Giacomo Leone in 1996.
Almgren held off Italy’s Yeman Crippa, who finished second, and Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo, who took third. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, the 2025 winner, was fourth after fading in the closing stages. Almgren said he felt strong when Kipruto accelerated with five kilometres remaining and eventually opened a decisive gap on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.
The victory capped a remarkable season for Almgren. He has run 3,000 metres in 7:26, won the world half-marathon title with a European record of 58:06 and claimed the European 10,000-metre title in Birmingham. He also organised his own training and had completed 2,000 kilometres during the final 10 weeks before the race.
New York also marked the end of Martín Fiz’s marathon career. The 63-year-old Spaniard, world champion in 1995, completed his 42nd marathon alongside his son Alex, who was making his debut over the distance. They narrowly missed their target of breaking three hours: Alex finished in 3:01:11, while his father crossed the line two seconds later.
Fiz had hoped to complete the race in under three hours, although he acknowledged that age had reduced his strength and pace. The pair struggled on the final climbs towards the finish but completed the course together, bringing to a close a marathon career that included European and world titles.
Fiz’s international career also featured a fourth-place finish at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and sixth place at the Sydney Games. After leaving elite competition, he became an ambassador for mass participation in marathon running and supported associations, foundations and training initiatives.
The women’s race ended with another Kenyan one-two, repeating the 2024 result. Sheila Chepkirui won a sprint finish against Helen Obiri in 2:24:36.
Sources: El País Deportes.