#238 A HISTORIC NEW YORK CITY MARATHON 2026

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A solo recap of the 2026 New York City Marathon, recorded right after the race. Andreas Almgren won in his marathon debut in 2:06:01, and Kristian says he has never been as excited to watch a marathon on TV.

He walks through the race from the start to the finish: the confusing start for the women, the wheelchair races, and an elite women's race that stayed open until the final kilometers. Jess McClain ran down Hellen Obiri and took second behind Sheila Chepkirui, less than 10 seconds back. In the men's race, Almgren pulled away from Yemaneberhan Crippa late and won by 13 seconds.

Kristian also shares what stood out to him about Almgren's approach, from his mileage to why he never tests himself fully in training, and goes through the performances of many other runners, including a long list of Americans and an Australian who finished just off his own national record.

In this episode:

- Almgren wins on his marathon debut in 2:06:01

- Chepkirui, McClain and Obiri finish within seven seconds in the women's race

- Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner in the wheelchair races

- A start mix-up and a water grab scare for the pro women

- Jess McClain's comeback and her story

- Crippa's 2:06:14 and the sprint for the podium

- An Australian close to the national record and performances from the Americans

- What Almgren said about training and the marathon

- A cooldown with the pros the day after

Timestamps

00:00 Saysky and welcome

00:17 A historic day for Almgren and New York

01:37 The race recap starts: wheelchair divisions

02:13 A confusing start for the pro women

03:16 Men's start delay and perfect conditions

03:47 Men's wheelchair race: Marcel Hug

05:20 Women's wheelchair race

06:41 The women's pro race

08:12 A scare at the water grab

09:06 A group of ten at the half marathon

10:11 Amanda Vestri drops, and the Brooks coach behind the results

11:27 Five left at 35K, and Jess McClain's story

13:54 Jess catches Obiri and Chepkirui

16:06 The women's times and podium

16:39 More runners and results to know

19:08 Credit to the coverage of the women's race

19:43 The men's field

21:42 Expectations for Almgren

23:54 How the men's race unfolds

26:03 Crippa and Almgren up front

27:42 Almgren wins in 2:06:01

29:35 Shoe talk: Crippa and Almgren

30:01 The podium and top five

30:43 The Australian national record

32:04 Americans and the rest of the top 20

33:36 What Almgren has said about training and the marathon

35:49 Cooldown with the pros

36:34 Wrap-up

Join the cooldown with the pros in New York: https://sandychiweshe.regfox.com/cool-down-with-the-pros

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