2026 NYC Marathon: Sheila Chepkirui wins women's portion of event, with American Jessica McClain finishing second

Early on, it became apparent that the women’s portion of the NYC Marathon would come down to some heavy hitters. That, ultimately, proved to be the case. As the race went on longer, Sheila Chepkirui got stronger, pulling away from last year’s winner Hellen Obiri and winning the event for the second time in her career.Things really started to materialize at the halfway point, as it became an eight-person race. A small group — which contained three former winners — broke away from the rest of the pack. While four American women led the the way around the 15K mark, three Kenyan runners seemed to get stronger as the race progressed. At the 30K mark, Chepkirui of Kenya led the way, but the eight-woman pack were all still in play to win the event. But with two miles to go, the favorites moved to the front. Chepkirui and Obiri were fighting for that top spot. It was a familiar position for both women, who have combined to win the last three NYC Marathons.In the end, Chepkirui broke away from Obiri. The Kenyan finished with a time of 2:24:36. It was her second victory at the event, which she last won in 2024. Suprisingly, Obiri fell behind in the final stages of the race, allowing American Jessica McClain to claim second place. McClain finished with a time of 2:24:42. She barely beat out Obiri, who came in third with a time of 2:24:43. Marcel Hug wins eighth NYC Marathon, Catherine Debrunner takes second winIn the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug picked up his eighth win. Since 2016, Hug has traded off victories with Daniel Romanchuk. It came down to those two again in 2026, with Hug just barely edging out Romanchuk for the victory. He beat Romanchuk by just 1.13 seconds.Debrunner, who holds the course record for her win in 2023, picked up her second-ever victory at the event Sunday. She demolished the competition this time around, finishing roughly seven minutes ahead of the field. That wasn’t good enough to break her own course record, however, as Debrunner finished 30 seconds off her 2023 time. This story will be updated.