New York Road Runners has announced the professional field for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, which takes place on November 1st. Headlining the fields will be defending champions Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto.

In addition to marking the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon’s move to a five-borough course, this year’s race will also celebrate 50 years since the introduction of a professional elite field. Bill Rodgers, the 1976 men’s champion, will return for race-week festivities, while 1976 and 1977 women’s champion Miki Gorman, who died in 2015, will be honored and represented by her daughter, Danielle Mika Nagel.

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s professional field:

Women’s Pro Race:

– Obiri comes back off the fastest women's race in event history in 2025, where she broke a 22-year-old course record in 2:19:51 and the entire podium went at least two minutes under the old mark. She most recently ran a personal best of 2:15:53 in her runner-up finish at the London Marathon, which moved her to No. 12 on the all-time list and No. 5 on the Kenyan all-time list. With a third victory, Obiri would join Grete Waitz (9x champion; 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982–1986, 1988), Mary Keitany (4x champion; 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018) and Paula Radcliffe (3x champion; 2004, 2007, 2008) in the three-time champion club.

At the London Marathon, Obiri took the lead and pushed the pace at 22 miles and then did not get passed until Mile 26, which assisted Tigst Assefa to break the women’s-only marathon world record in 2:15:41. I asked Obiri whether taking the lead at that point in the race or running the final mile of the New York City Marathon was more daunting.

“To run 2:15—that was, I can say, the hardest marathon I've done since I started running marathons in 2022,” Obiri replied. “So honestly, running the final mile in New York, for me, seems much easier.”

– Five of last year’s top six women return for this year’s race. (Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi has opted to race the Chicago Marathon for the first time.) Sheila Chepkirui, who won the 2024 edition of the New York City Marathon, is looking to make her third consecutive podium in the Big Apple.

– Olympic champion Sifan Hassan withdrew from April’s London Marathon due to an Achilles injury and will race for the first time in 2026 when she returns to New York. In last year’s race, Hassan was dropped just after the Queensboro Bridge before clawing her way back to rejoin the lead pack. But the effort exhausted her and she faded to sixth place.

“New York was my boss last time. So this time, I'm going to be the boss of New York,” she told reporters at NYRR’s media day.

– Jess McClain leads the U.S. contingent with a fresh 2:20:49 personal best and top American finish from April’s Boston Marathon. She was eighth (No. 2 American) in 2024 when she made her World Marathon Majors debut in New York.

“First American honors is always amazing, but I'm thinking bigger than that,” McClain said.

Last year’s top American was Fiona O’Keeffe, who ran a personal best of 2:22:49 to break the American course record in New York. She withdrew from the Boston Marathon just days before the race due to a hamstring injury. She has not raced since March. Annie Frisbie, who was fifth in last year’s race, is coming back from a stress fracture in her tibia.

– U.S. half marathon record holder Weini Kelati will make her highly anticipated marathon debut at 29 years old. She has been a regular at New York Road Runners races since shifting her focus to the roads, having participated in the USATF 5K Championships and Mini 10K. In March, she lowered her own half marathon national record to 1:06:04 at the Barcelona Half Marathon. She is coached by Stephen Haas, who coached Lokedi to victory in her marathon debut in New York in 2022.

“When I see the marathon, it makes me feel small,” Kelati says. “And I was like, ‘Wow, I want to do a marathon!’ And every person you run into during that weekend will say, 'Are you going to do the marathon tomorrow?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I'm not going to do it right now.’ But it feels like this is the right moment and this is the right place to do it for me. So I'm very excited to see what I can do in my first marathon.”

Full women’s field here:

• 🇳🇱 Sifan Hassan – 2:13:44 NR
• 🇰🇪 Hellen Obiri – 2:15:53
• 🇰🇪 Sheila Chepkirui – 2:17:29
• 🇪🇹 Gotytom Gebreslase – 2:18:11
• 🇰🇪 Viola Cheptoo – 2:19:05
• 🇰🇪 Edna Kiplagat – 2:19:50
• 🇰🇪 Mercy Chelangat – 2:20:30
• 🇺🇸 Jessica McClain – 2:20:49
• 🇺🇸 Annie Frisbie – 2:22:00
• 🇺🇸 Fiona O’Keeffe – 2:22:10
• 🇩🇪 Fabienne Königstein – 2:22:17
• 🇺🇸 Carrie Ellwood – 2:22:53
• 🇺🇸 Erika Kemp – 2:22:56
• 🇮🇹 Giovanna Epis – 2:23:46
• 🇯🇵 Rie Kawauchi – 2:24:16
• 🇺🇸 Amanda Vestri – 2:24:49
• 🇺🇸 Lauren Hagans – 2:25:47
• 🇺🇾 Julia Paternain – 2:25:47 NR
• 🇬🇧 Phily Bowden – 2:25:57
• 🇺🇸 Paige Wood – 2:26:02
• 🇺🇸 Steph Bruce – 2:27:47
• 🇺🇸 Roberta Groner – 2:29:09
• 🇵🇪 Mica Rivera Wood – 2:29:13
• 🇺🇸 Megan O’Neil – 2:31:31
• 🇺🇸 Monica Hebner – 2:32:40
• 🇺🇸 Brooke Starn – 2:35:22
• 🇺🇸 Alosha Southern – 2:36:10
• 🇺🇸 Keelah Barger – 2:36:13
• 🇺🇸 Maddie Block – 2:36:25
• 🇺🇸 Cailie Hughes – Debut
• 🇺🇸 Weini Kelati – Debut

Men’s Pro Race:

– It has been 27 editions of the New York City Marathon since someone has successfully defended the men's New York City Marathon title—Kenya’s John Kagwe completed the feat in 1998. Benson Kipruto is looking to become the next man to pull it off, as he seeks his fifth World Marathon Major title victory. He won last year’s race by edging out his compatriot Alexander Mutiso Munyao by three-hundredths of a second.

“I'm coming well prepared for the last kick,” Kipruto said. “That's what I'm working on.”

Mutiso Munyao is not back for this year’s race but Kipruto will still be up against three other men (Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta, Kenya’s CyBrian Kotut and USA’s Zouhair Talbi) with personal bests under 2:04. Kipruto was third in April’s Boston Marathon in 2:02:50.

– Patrick Dever is the next-best returner from last year’s race. The British star ran 2:08:58 for fourth place in his debut but was later upgraded to third place as Albert Korir, last year’s third place finisher and 2022 champion, was banned for five years after he admitted to doping after testing positive for the blood-boosting substance CERA (a modern version of EPO) in three different samples taken in Kenya last October.

“To now say I'm a podium finisher at a major marathon in my debut marathon is pretty special—even if I wasn't able to experience it on the day,” Dever said.

Dever applauded New York Road Runners for its support in handling Korir’s suspension and revising the results.

– The U.S. contingent is headlined by the return of American record holder Conner Mantz, who missed April’s Boston Marathon due to a sacral stress fracture he sustained after his 2:04:43 national record in Chicago. He returned to racing with a fourth-place finish at the Falmouth Road Race this past weekend. In that race, he was narrowly beaten by Talbi, who was the top American in April’s Boston Marathon in 2:03:45 (which does not count for record purposes due to Boston’s point-to-point course; additionally Talbi is ineligible for American records until 2027). This will be their fourth career head-to-head in the marathon. Mantz owns a 2–1 advantage with better finishes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and last year’s Chicago Marathon.

Mantz was early to call his shot about chasing the American record in Chicago. This time, he’s tapering expectations and not sharing any big goal in advance.

“For most of my marathons it's been, what's holding me back? What do I need to do to compete with the top guys? This go-around, it's—okay, I've been close,” Mantz said. “I was about 23 seconds off the win at Boston last year, and it's more about executing on a race and staying healthy than it is about pushing all these workouts and mileage. So for this particular build, based off the last 10 months of on-and-off injuries, the goal right now is really just, let's get to the start line 100 percent healthy. And then see what happens. I think I'm competitive. If I can get to that start line healthy and build up enough mileage in my legs, I think I can do pretty well.

“I wish I could say ‘go out and win,’” Mantz added. “But the goal right now is to figure out how to get really fit, and then my coach and I will sit down and make a goal on October 30th.”

– On Athletics Club training partners Ryan Ford and Joe Klecker will stay attached for another marathon after both breaking 2:06 in April’s Boston Marathon.

– The most exciting debut on the men’s side is 2025 10,000m World Championship bronze medalist Andreas Almgren. He is coming off a dominant victory in the European Championships 10,000m final, where he lapped all but six runners in the field. It marked an end to his track season as he will prepare for New York by contesting the half marathon for Sweden at the World Road Running Championships next month in Copenhagen. Almgren owns the European half marathon record in 58:41 from last October’s Valencia Half Marathon.

– On the U.S. side, Northern Arizona Elite’s Ahmed Muhumed will be an intriguing debutant since he has been consistently good at longer races. He’s qualified for two World Cross Country Championships and will represent the U.S. in the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships. Kenya’s Patrick Kiprop, who is based in the U.S. with the On Athletic Club’s roads division, will also be one to watch after running 59:14 for second place at the Houston Half Marathon and then racking up victories at Bolder Boulder, the BAA 10K and the Peachtree Road Race this summer. He trains alongside Klecker and Ford.

Full men’s field here:

• 🇰🇪 Benson Kipruto – 2:02:16
• 🇪🇹 Deresa Geleta – 2:02:38
• 🇰🇪 CyBrian Kotut – 2:03:22
• 🇺🇸 Zouhair Talbi – 2:03:45
• 🇳🇱 Abdi Nageeye – 2:04:20 NR
• 🇰🇪 Geoffrey Kamworor – 2:04:23
• 🇮🇹 Iliass Aouani – 2:04:26 NR
• 🇪🇹 Huseydin Mohamed Esa – 2:04:39
• 🇺🇸 Conner Mantz – 2:04:43 NR
• 🇯🇵 Kengo Suzuki – 2:04:56
• 🇮🇹 Yemaneberhan Crippa – 2:05:18
• 🇰🇪 Edward Cheserek – 2:05:24
• 🇯🇵 Ryota Kondo – 2:05:39
• 🇺🇸 Ryan Ford – 2:05:46
• 🇺🇸 Joe Klecker – 2:05:56
• 🇮🇪 Peter Lynch – 2:06:08 NR
• 🇬🇧 Patrick Dever – 2:06:18
• 🇦🇺 Haftu Strintzos – 2:06:20 NR
• 🇬🇧 Jack Rowe – 2:07:47
• 🇺🇸 Casey Clinger – 2:08:43
• 🇱🇸 Kamohelo Mofolo – 2:08:50
• 🇺🇸 Sam Chelanga – 2:08:50
• 🇺🇸 JP Flavin – 2:09:17
• 🇺🇸 Jared Ward – 2:09:25
• 🇺🇸 Turner Wiley – 2:09:27
• 🇺🇸 Andrew Colley – 2:09:33
• 🇺🇸 Robert Miranda – 2:09:40
• 🇺🇸 Joel Reichow – 2:09:56
• 🇺🇸 Aidan Troutner – 2:10:23
• 🇺🇸 JP Trojan – 2:10:39
• 🇺🇸 Paul Chelimo – 2:10:55
• 🇺🇸 Stephen Jones – 2:11:17
• 🇺🇸 Mo Bati – 2:12:29
• 🇺🇸 Aidan Reed – 2:13:58
• 🇺🇸 Owen Ritz – 2:14:19
• 🇦🇺 James Nipperess – 2:15:03
• 🇺🇸 Merga Gemeda – 2:15:12
• 🇺🇸 Alec Baldwin – 2:15:38
• 🇺🇸 Ryan Cutter – 2:17:24
• 🇸🇪 Andreas Almgren – Debut
• 🇰🇪 Patrick Kiprop – Debut
• 🇺🇸 Ahmed Muhumed – Debut

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