New York City Marathon 2026: Nearly 60,000 Runners Take On the Five Boroughs as Obiri and Kipruto Defend Their Titles
The five-borough course turns 50 this year, more than 60,000 runners from 140 countries are expected, and the morning's first title is already decided — Marcel Hug edged Daniel Romanchuk for his eighth New York wheelchair crown.
The largest marathon in American road racing took over New York on Sunday. The TCS New York City Marathon runs through all five boroughs on the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course introduced in 1976, starting at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island and finishing in Central Park — with a course change, in the Bronx, for the first time in 15 years. More than 60,000 runners from 140 countries are expected, a year after a record 59,226 crossed the finish line.
Both defending open champions are back. Benson Kipruto won the men's race last year by the smallest margin in the event's history, and Hellen Obiri won the women's race in a course-record 2:19:51; she is chasing a third New York title. The challengers are loaded: American record holder Conner Mantz, Zouhair Talbi and former champions Abdi Nageeye and Geoffrey Kamworor in the men's race, and Sheila Chepkirui with Americans Jess McClain and Weini Kelati in the women's.
The wheelchair races produced the day's first result. Marcel Hug edged Daniel Romanchuk on Sunday morning for his eighth New York City Marathon wheelchair title, USA Today reported, while defending women's champion Susannah Scaroni returned to the start line less than three months after giving birth, going for a third straight crown. The elite women started at 8:35 a.m. Eastern and the elite men at 9:05, with five mass-participation waves following through 11:30 and the national broadcast on ESPN2.
