The five-borough TCS New York City Marathon took place Sunday, Nov. 1, and marked the 50th anniversary of the five-borough route that made the race famous around the world.
Fittingly, this milestone race also served as the largest marathon in human history, with 61,146 finishers. Of those finishers, 153 countries were represented, and 15,745 runners came from overseas.
Before the five-borough course, the marathon started in 1970 with only 55 finishers doing four-plus laps around Central Park. New York Road Runners is the non-profit behind organizing the five-borough marathon; its mission revolves around the power running has to transform lives.
Ted Metellus, NYRR’s Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director, had this to say about the organization: “It’s running, but it’s also being of service to those in the community, so being able to help our volunteers, being able to help our runners, being able to help our charity teams [which] raised over $100 million this year, so that’s what it’s all about: it’s being about service.”
Metellus believes the team effort is what keeps the event going, not only “internally with our teams but externally with the city.” New York draws over 2 million spectators, and every borough prepares to receive the Marathon.
He added, “It shows the very best of New York City and why it makes this city the greatest city in the world. You know we have complete strangers that are out there cheering on runners, celebrating runners, making signs for runners and really making today the best day ever.”
2026 TCS Marathon Winners
The winners of this year’s marathon were: for the women’s open division, Sheila Chepkirui from Kenya, with a time of 2:24:36; while Swedish Andreas Almgren won the open men’s division with a time of 2:06:01.
The record for the fastest time ever by an American Man in the New York City Marathon was broken this year by Zouhair Talbi, who placed sixth with a time of 2:24:36— and Jess McClain, from the women’s open division, was the second-place finisher with a time of 2:24:42, the best by an American woman since Shalane Flanagan’s third place in 2018.
The American, Ryan Montgomery, won the nonbinary division, a category that started in the 2022 race. Montgomery also set the course record with his win, 2:23:39.
In the wheelchair division, two Swiss athletes took first place in both the women’s and men’s divisions. Marcel Hug won the men’s title in 1:28:14, and Catherine Debrunner won the women’s title in 1:40:02.
Debrunner has been racing since she was eight years old and has been competing in marathons since 2022. This was her third win in New York.
“New York is definitely a special place; it’s the hardest marathon we have” because of all the hills, she told amNewYork, “but it makes it so special, and it’s amazing that we can celebrate the anniversary of this marathon, the organization is amazing, and also the visibility it gives us wheelchair racers— I really love the inclusion we have, and it’s an amazing event”
Resilience during the Marathon
Aside from the professional athletes, many recognizable faces were on the track, meeting their own personal goals.
Nev Schulman had previously run as a guide for four years with Achilles International. This year he ran the marathon as a pacer for his wife and noted, “Well, it was hard. I was running to help my wife get her personal best and qualify for Boston, and I’m very happy to say not only did she do that, but she beat me by a couple of minutes; she just crushed it. I couldn’t keep up.”
Schulman’s favorite part of the course was Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue because of the crowd’s energy along that stretch, and Williamsburg, where he reunited with his kids—he stressed that the New York City Marathon continues to be the best he’s ever run.
Dylan Effron also stated this was the “best race in the world” and emphasized the importance of the crowd supporting him along the way; having an especially difficult time after mile 20, he said, “I knew if I stopped I couldn’t get going again; I just had to keep pushing.”
Completing his 10th anniversary with the NYC Marathon, Casey Neistat thanked NYRR for its incredible organization, calling it a “well-oiled machine” that made everyone feel “safe.”
Neistat reported extreme gratitude for the event and stated, “I mean it’s five different boroughs (…) There are eight million people in this city, and you are experiencing the cross-section of all of that with this journey (…) You’re seeing all the ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity the city has to offer in one really long run, and it’s all maximized with such a level of enthusiasm; everyone is celebrating this collective mission they are on. It’s an extraordinary day.”
Thank you: from the runners to the crowd
The thank-yous did not stop there. The finish line was a culmination of laughter, crying, screaming, and even throwing up. Everyone who completed this massive achievement seemed to be on their own emotional rollercoaster, but they shared a special gratitude for the NYRR, the crowd, and all the volunteers.
Tracy Morgan, the grand marshal of this year’s Marathon, held back tears all morning, describing his role in the event as a full-circle moment for him. He shared an anecdote about how his grandfather used to point out the marathon from the 14th floor of the Marlboro Projects in Coney Island, where he grew up, and now, for the first time, he participated in it.
Morgan remarks, “First of all, I have a newfound respect for these runners, newfound respect. To do all these miles so quickly and what goes into it, I can only imagine; I’m not a runner, but I can only imagine what goes into it. And then to see the support along the way, all the way, all the way up until this point right now, it was overwhelming… overwhelming to see that many people come out early in the morning to support the runners and to cheer them on…That was New York.”
Everyone in New York seems to have a marathon story; as a runner, a spectator, or even just sitting at home, you can’t avoid the marathon; it has a part of the city.
Eight-month pregnant Bronxite runner Deirdre Keane said this year’s race was “a dream come true and actually extra special because my dad last ran it 25 years ago before he passed away from cancer, so it’s very nice to run with little baby who is going to be named after him: Shawn”
At the finish line, New Yorker and Department of Sanitation worker GianCarlos Vargas’s smile was contagious as he had just completed his sixth marathon this year and was enthusiastic about breaking his personal record, with a sub-three time of 2:51. Regarding the crowd, he said, “The crowd is incredible as always. Thank you everybody, if you were out there cheering, you make the difference you’re there for the runners, and you are what makes us go.”
