2026 NYC Marathon Elite Field Preview

The 2026 New York City Marathon elite fields just dropped, and Michael and Alex are breaking down every contender... recorded fresh off a workout with Conner Mantz, Casey Klinger, and Clayton Young in Provo, Utah.

On the men's side: defending champion Benson Kipruto, American record holder Zouhair Talbi, and a red-hot Conner Mantz headline a field where 10 athletes have run faster than the current course record. On the women's side: Sifan Hassan looks for redemption after a brutal fall stretch, defending champ Hellen Obiri returns, and a stacked American trio (Jess McLain, Annie Frisbie, Fiona O'Keefe) chases the country's first NYC women's champion since 2009. Plus: a can't-miss marathon debut, a deep dive into what shoes the elites will be wearing on November 1st, and some genuinely bold predictions.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:09 Men's elite field overview: Benson Kipruto leads a loaded field
2:54 Why NYC runs slow (and why the course records are still in danger)
4:14 Zouhair Talbi: America's new marathon record threat
5:39 The race within the race: can an American win New York?
7:24 Don't sleep on Casey Klinger
8:06 Abdi Nageeye, Iliass Aouani & Edward Cheserek join the mix
9:23 The deep American men's field: Ward, Flavin, Klecker, Ford
9:36 Andreas Almgren's marathon debut
11:16 Women's field: Sifan Hassan returns for redemption
13:48 Defending champion Hellen Obiri & the Kenyan depth chart
15:04 America's breakout trio: Jess McLain, Annie Frisbie & Fiona O'Keefe
17:21 Julia Paternain, Steph Bruce & more names to know
19:11 A highly anticipated marathon debut
20:12 Bold predictions: men's winner & top American
24:54 Shoe corner: what will Conner Mantz wear in New York?
25:50 Bold predictions: women's winner & top American
30:59 Shoe corner: the mystery shoe on the women's side
32:22 Biggest storylines: American supremacy & a loaded field
32:58 Redemption arcs and a new docuseries tease
34:14 Is the marathon changing forever? Super shoes & sub-2 talk
36:48 Legacy watch: is this the greatest marathon era ever?
39:35 Celebrating 50 years of the five-borough course
40:56 What's next: live shows in NYC, Sydney, Chicago & Berlin

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