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Jess McClain finished second at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. In the last two miles she came back from no man’s land, ran every tangent through Central Park and passed Hellen Obiri in the final steps before the finish line.
Michael Doyle and Alex Cyr sit down with Jess to go through the race. She explains the moment she decided top five wasn’t good enough, why she’d “rather die than get fourth again,” and how she stayed calm when Obiri and Sheila Chepkirui pulled away at 36K. She also tells them about Tracy Morgan crying at the start line.
Michael's article:
https://marathonhandbook.com/jess-mcclain-hellen-obiri-nyc-marathon-tangents/
Thanks to Brooks for helping set up this interview.
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"Jess McClain on Her 2nd Place NYC Marathon Finish" is an episode of Marathon Handbook Podcast. Runtime 35 min. Published November 8, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
