By Chris Chavez & David Melly

The 2026 New York City Marathon takes over the five boroughs on Sunday, Nov. 1, celebrating 50 years of its iconic course with the promise of thrilling racing.

Defending champions Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri headline elite fields packed with past winners, global medalists, and intriguing debutants. Kipruto faces former champions Abdi Nageeye and Geoffrey Kamworor, Swedish star Andreas Almgren in his marathon debut, and an American contingent led by Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi.

Obiri will battle once again with 2024 New York winner Sheila Chepkirui, while Weini Kelati’s debut adds intrigue to a deep U.S. lineup featuring Jess McClain and Annie Frisbie.

Beyond the professional races, the CITIUS MAG team will have 10 runners on the course aiming for a 3:30 finish. Follow along by adding Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Mac Fleet, and Eric Jenkins to your runner tracker on the NYRR app.

How to Watch: Fans can watch live on ESPN2 nationally from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. ET and on ABC7/WABC-TV locally from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET, with additional coverage on ESPN Unlimited and the ABC7 New York App. The NYRR app will also offer live runner tracking, leaderboards and uninterrupted feeds of all four professional races. There will be no CITIUS MAG watch-along on race day, but we’ll keep you posted on all our social channels with live updates and race-day interviews.

Let’s get into the action!

Men’s Professional Race

The Defending Champion

Benson Kipruto | Kenya | 2:02:16 Personal Best From Tokyo 2024

At 35 and heading into his 20th career marathon since 2016, Kipruto remains one of the world’s best. Across those marathons, he has six wins and 14 podium finishes to his name. Last year, it took a photo finish, but he became the first man to win all three U.S. World Marathon Majors. When the fields were announced, he joked on the media call that he was practicing his lean for 2026. He may need it. He’ll have his hands full with three other men who have run under 2:04. Kipruto managed to hold on through 30K with John Korir in Boston then kept it together for a podium finish in 2:02:50—which was under the previous Boston Marathon course record. So far, we’ve seen several of this year’s Boston Marathon top finishers similarly match their form in their fall marathons, which would bode well for Kipruto. However, no man has won back-to-back New York races since Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 and 2013 (2012 was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy).

The Contenders

Andreas Almgren | Sweden | Debut

Andreas Almgren might be the field’s biggest wildcard. (That’s how Zouhair Talbi described him on our podcast.) The 31-year-old Swede makes his marathon debut after winning this year’s World Road Running Championships half marathon title in a European-record 58:06, which came on the heels of a European 10,000m title. Not all of his training has made it onto Strava, but word from Flagstaff is that he’s been logging around 145 miles per week, with some days featuring more than 20 miles of work faster than marathon pace. Conner Mantz, who joined him for a few workouts, offered this scouting report on our podcast (lightly edited for clarity):

“Almgren is very, very impressive…He had this pretty impressive morning session. He did 50 minutes at around 4:40-4:43 pace—almost eleven miles—and he just did it and looked like he was jogging. And then 12x1K at 2:45. And it was just really interesting to see how measured he was. He didn’t speed up on the last one—not even a tiny bit. Everything was very, “This is exactly what I’m running; I don’t need to run faster. I don’t want to run slower.” Sometimes we’d be in like 2:44.00, but everything was just very locked in…

It was insanely impressive to see him run his double threshold that day. It kind of floored me a little bit. Because I was like: “Man, these would be two great workouts for me in a single week. And then he just did it on Tuesday before race day.” And as we talked, it seems like he’s been doing double threshold for so many years that it’s pretty relaxed for him. He still does the lactate meter, but it doesn’t sound like it’s necessary anymore. He’s just gotten to know his body and done the same type of workouts for years on end. But it was insanely impressive. He’ll be tough to beat in New York.”

Rory Linkletter, who has run with Almgren on some of his Flagstaff long runs, shared the following: “He’s done enough long runs in Flagstaff that would break any other career marathoner’s brain. Including a 20-mile tempo on the hills of Lake Mary Road in 2:10 marathon pace. I’m flat out inspired by him.”

When Almgren was first announced for New York, he joined the podcast to explain his decision. We noted then that a conservative opening 13 to 16 miles could play to his strengths. If he’s still in contention with 10K to go, it’s hard to see anyone matching his speed.

Some may hesitate to pick a debutant for the win, and that’s entirely understandable. We saw experience win out in the battle for top American in Chicago, and there’s value in knowing what those final miles demand. But Almgren arrives with years of high-volume training behind him and the benefit of advances in shoes and fueling. New York will test how much that preparation can make up for experience over 26.2 miles.

Deresa Geleta | Ethiopia | Personal best 2:02:38 from Valencia 2024

You have to look beyond the shiny personal bests on the start list to gauge who could be a force on New York’s bridges and hills. Geleta has both the speed and the credentials on a challenging course: just four months after placing fifth in 2:07:31 on the notoriously difficult Paris Olympic course, he ran 2:02:38 to finish second at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, losing only to future world record holder Sabastian Sawe. He’s still chasing his first World Marathon Major victory, with a runner-up finish in Tokyo in 2025 as his best result so far. Most recently, he finished sixth in 2:03:23 at April’s London Marathon, making him the highest finisher from that race in New York’s field.

CyBrian Kotut | Kenya | Personal best: 2:03:22 from Berlin 2024

Kotut’s best racing stretch spanned late 2024 and early 2025: He finished second in Berlin in 2:03:22, then battled Alphonce Simbu down Boylston Street for the runner-up spot at Boston, ultimately taking third in 2:05:04. Since then, he’s endured consecutive DNFs in Chicago (2025) and Boston (2026). If healthy, he’s a contender.

Yemaneberhan Crippa | Italy | Personal best: 2:05:18 from Paris 2026

This past spring, before Boston’s blazing times and Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha’s sub-two-hour runs in London captured everyone’s attention, we were still trying to wrap our heads around Crippa covering the final 2,195 meters in Paris in a remarkable 6:01. Just three years into his marathon career, he earned his first victory there and showed the finishing speed that could serve him well in a championship-style race (although Almgren’s may be better). Now we’ll see whether he can end the Italian men’s victory drought in New York, 30 years after Giacomo Leone’s 1996 win.

Past Champions: New York prides itself on its history and tradition, and this year’s field features returning champions Abdi Nageeye (2024) and Geoffrey Kamworor (2017 and 2019).

The Americans

A reminder to folks that World Athletics’s qualifying window for the 2028 Olympic marathon is slated to open on November 1st. The entry standard time is not expected to be announced until December. (New York’s course makes it hard for anyone to achieve qualifying times.) But this means athletes’ performances will count toward their world ranking, and if an athlete finishes in the top five, they will be classified as having achieved the entry standard since this is a Platinum Label race. That will certainly be a subplot to watch as some of these athletes aim for the podium.

Conner Mantz | USA | Personal best: 2:04:43 (American record) from Chicago 2025

Conner Mantz’s return to the marathon comes with a little more uncertainty than we’re used to. Since breaking the American record in Chicago last fall, he’s suffered two sacral stress fractures, missed Boston and had to rebuild his fitness. On our podcast, he acknowledged that a rough outing at September’s World Half Marathon Championships exposed the difference between hitting impressive workouts and having the foundation to race well. But he believes he’s improving quickly: “A month ago I wasn’t in the shape I am now.”

His approach to how he’s planning to race New York is “measured,” though that doesn’t mean settling for a quiet comeback. Mantz said a podium or top-five finish would leave him happy, and he wants to be with the leaders entering the final mile.

He has experience on this course from his top American finish in 2024, but the memory is still fresh when he missed the decisive move and backed off his pursuit because the pace felt too fast. This time, he wants to trust his fitness and react to the race. The question is how far his rebuilding has taken him and whether it’s enough to put him back in the fight in Central Park.

Zouhair Talbi | USA | Personal best: 2:03:45 from Boston 2026

Zouhair Talbi returns to New York with unfinished business. In 2023, his second career marathon ended poorly after he went with the leaders and paid for it, dropping out around 34K. Now he arrives off a fifth-place finish in Boston in 2:03:45, a Great North Run victory in 59:47, and a longer buildup that included at least seven weeks at 130 miles or more. The biggest difference, he told us on the podcast, is his strength: “What I used to be able to do for 22 miles—I’m now able to do for 25 miles at the same effort.”

His focus extends beyond the battle for top American with Conner Mantz, which serves as an early preview of what we could see at the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis. Talbi stayed with Boston’s leaders until roughly mile 21. In New York, he wants to be there with 5K—or even two miles—to go. A fourth-place finish would improve upon Boston, but he’s thinking podium. And despite his experience here in 2023, he isn’t planning to race cautiously: “If it’s not ridiculously fast, I’m going with whatever is in front of me.”

Ryan Ford and Joe Klecker | USA | Personal best: 2:05:46 and 2:05:56 from Boston 2026

It’s easy to group these guys together since they’ve trained nearly every step of this build together and they finished only 10 seconds apart in Boston. Each time out, they’ve managed to find a way to level up in the marathon.

Klecker, in particular, returns to New York a stronger, more experienced marathoner than the debutant who lined up here last fall. After running 2:05:56 in Boston, he raised his training volume substantially with seven weeks above 130 miles, a peak of 135 and four 25-mile long runs. Klecker told us on the podcast that he’s incorporated more pace changes to prepare for New York’s surges and wants to be ready when the race breaks open, whether that happens on First Avenue or much earlier.

In addition to Ford, he’ll have familiar company with his other training partner Patrick Kiprop, making his marathon debut. Klecker said they’ve done nearly every workout together, with Ford adding confidence through a roughly 27:40 personal best for 10K and Kiprop winning his tune-up half marathon. There are no friendly bets between them, but there’s plenty of internal competition: “I can guarantee you we all think we’re going to be the top OAC runner.”

Ahmed Muhumed | USA | Debut

It would be foolish to overlook Ahmed Muhumed, who makes his marathon debut after quietly clocking a 1:00:15 personal best for 13th at the World Road Running Championships half marathon—just one spot and seven seconds behind Mantz. New York has long been his intended debut. He’s raced the Dash to the Finish Line 5K three times, winning in 2024, and watched the marathon each visit. He’s hoping for similar luck on Sunday.

Joel Reichow | USA | 2:09:56 Personal Best From New York 2025

Last year’s top American returns with an encouraging buildup. Joel Reichow hasn’t posted many headline-grabbing results since, but his 59:01 personal best over 20K in New Haven stands out since it’s nearly three and a half minutes faster than he ran there before last year’s New York breakthrough. That’s a promising sign for someone who already knows how to deliver on this course.

Women’s Race

The Defending Champion

Hellen Obiri | Kenya | Personal best: 2:15:53 from London 2026

Initially, fans were excited to see a rematch between Obiri, the two-time NYC champ, and Sifan Hassan, the 2024 Olympic champion who finished sixth last year. Hassan withdrew from the race last month, however, meaning Obiri will enter as a fairly heavy favorite. The 36-year-old has four WMM titles to her name and is coming off a big personal best from London this past spring. Generally, when Obiri loses a marathon (which is rare), it takes a very special performance from someone like London champ Tigst Assefa, herself a five-time WMM champ. If Obiri performs at or near her best, she’ll be well-positioned to win her third title in New York, joining all-time greats Grete Waitz, Paula Radcliffe, and Mary Keitany as the only NYC champs with three or more victories.

The Contenders

Sheila Chepkirui | Kenya | Personal best: 2:17:29 from Valencia 2022

The only reason Obiri isn’t a total slam dunk is because Sheila Chepkirui has shown she can beat her head-to-head on this very course, winning the 2024 edition of the race. Obiri got revenge the following year, as Chepkirui had to settle for third behind her and 2022 champ Sharon Lokedi, but after her somewhat-surprise win the year prior, another podium finish (her third total in World Marathon Majors) was good confirmation 2024 wasn’t a fluke. Chepkirui opted for the Nagoya Women’s Marathon this past spring instead of a major, which she won by two seconds in a sprint finish in 2:21:54, so there’s no reason to suggest she won’t head into New York in shape to give Obiri a good fight.

Viola Cheptoo | Kenya | Personal best: 2:19:05 from Tokyo 2026

37-year-old Viola Cheptoo has been a stalwart of the U.S. road running scene for most of the last decade, but Bernard Lagat’s younger sister doesn’t yet have a signature win to define her long, impressive career. Her best finish at a major was a runner-up performance at this race in 2021, and she’s coming off a lifetime best in Tokyo this past spring (where she finished sixth), so if it’s going to come, perhaps the stars will align during a season where she’s fit on a course where she’s notched three top-six performances. She is one of the few women to ever beat Obiri head-to-head in a marathon, finishing one spot ahead of her fellow Kenyan at this race in 2022, where Obiri ended up sixth in her debut.

Mercy Chelangat | Kenya | Personal best: 2:20:30 from Boston 2026

The third time may be the charm for NAZ Elite (and University of Alabama alum) rising star Mercy Chelangat, who took fourth in Boston this past spring in just her second go at the distance. There, she improved her 2:23 debut to a 2:20:30 in fast conditions, showing she could also fare well on a hilly, unpaced course. Her most recent race result was a fifth-place finish at the Falmouth Road Race in April, so she doesn’t have a huge body of work with from to gauge recent fitness, but anyone who can finish fourth in Boston will be in the mix for a podium in New York six months later.

Edna Kiplagat | Kenya | Personal best: 2:19:50 from London 2012

At 46 years young, Edna Kiplagat simply cannot quit the game. The four-time WMM champ has been on a major podium as recently as 2024, and this past May she finished fifth in a strong field at the Cape Town Marathon, running 2:25:44. It would be unexpected to see Kiplagat win another crown at this stage in her year, but if weather conditions slow down the pace and we see a more tactical race up front, it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see Kiplagat’s experience and racing savvy land her much farther up than recent times may suggest.

The Americans

Jessica McClain | USA | Personal best: 2:20:49 from Boston 2026

In six career marathons, Jess McClain has never finished lower than eighth. That includes an eighth place finish at last year’s World Championship, eighth at the 2024 NYC Marathon, and fifth place in Boston this past spring, which remains her PB and career-best finish at a major. That kind of consistency is rare in elite marathoning, and often it’s indicative that a big breakthrough is coming.

If McClain can replicate her top-five finish from this spring in NYC, she’ll secure the Olympic standard, putting her in a good position for 2028 after finishing a heartbreaking fourth at the 2024 Trials. And it’s very doable. She’s coming off a 66:53 seventh-place finish at the World Half Champs in September, a lifetime best and the kind of performance that indicates top-five marathon fitness. If past is prologue, however, she may need to beat one or more of her fellow Americans to secure that spot.