Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, in 2 hours 6 minutes 1 second, after breaking away in the final mile, The New York Times reports.

The win is remarkable because Almgren was running his first-ever marathon, and he beat a field led by defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya. Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa finished second in the men's race.

The race turned in the final two miles. According to The New York Times, a lead trio of Kipruto, the favorite and defending champ, Almgren, a much heralded Swede in his very first marathon, and Crippa held together until Kipruto began to lag.

Both Almgren and Crippa are better known for shorter distance races, making the transition to 26.2 miles the biggest gamble of the day.

The women's race delivered its own drama, coming down to a late sprint. Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya pulled away from two pursuers to win in 2:24:36, The New York Times reports, adding a second title after her 2024 victory.

She fended off last year's winner, Hellen Obiri, also of Kenya, and Jessica McClain of the United States, who made a last-minute break for second place, which McClain took.

Early winners included Switzerland's Marcel Hug, who won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time in 1:28:14, a second ahead of the U.S.'s Daniel Romanchuk, and fellow Swiss Catherine Debrunner, who won the women's wheelchair division by more than eight minutes.

Away from the elite races, ABC7 New York reports that its own Eyewitness News anchors Mike Marza and Liz Cho ran the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon to raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association, in honor of their colleague Bill Ritter.

Ritter announced in June that he was stepping down from the Channel 7 anchor desk after being diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's, and has made it his mission to report on the disease while living with it.

ABC7 said Mike had reached the 9-mile mark while Liz, running her first marathon, had crossed 7 miles. The pair's run ties the broadcast directly to the disease awareness cause their viewers knew from Ritter's decades at the desk.

Nearly 60,000 competitors streamed onto the course from the start line in Staten Island in timed waves, crossing five bridges on the way to the finish in Central Park, The New York Times reports.

The day was sunny and dry, with temperatures expected to peak around 60 degrees, and 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of the decision to move the race through all five boroughs.

Spectators packed spots from Mile 3 to Mile 26, with crowds four or five deep on Central Park South as the elite women approached, and the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School band playing the Rocky theme on Lafayette Avenue from a spot it has held since 1979.

For viewers following from home, the race was broadcast in New York on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and in Spanish on ESPN3, with an audio broadcast on iHeartRadio, The New York Times reports.

Billboard notes the marathon aired locally on ABC7 New York and nationally on ESPN, with streaming options including DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and ESPN Unlimited. Fans tracked runners in real time through the New York Road Runners app and on the NYRR website.

Celebrity sightings included grand marshal Tracy Morgan and Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly among the famous faces on the course.