Welcome to Marathon Handbook’s live coverage of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, run on the 50th anniversary of the first five-borough course. Hellen Obiri returns as defending champion after breaking the course record last November in 2:19:51, and she has since won the NYC Half and run a personal best of 2:15:53 for second in London. Sheila Chepkirui, the 2024 champion, and Edna Kiplagat, the 2010 champion, are in the field, while Sifan Hassan and Fiona O’Keeffe have withdrawn.
Benson Kipruto defends the men’s title he won last year by three hundredths of a second over Alexander Mutiso, the closest finish in the race’s history. Former champions Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye are back, and Deresa Geleta, second in Tokyo last year, makes his New York debut with a best of 2:02:38.
Conner Mantz, the American record holder at 2:04:43, races Zouhair Talbi, whose 2:03:45 in Boston in April is the fastest marathon ever run by an American, on a course that is not eligible for records. Weini Kelati, the American half marathon record holder, makes her marathon debut, and Jess McClain and Annie Frisbie lead one of the strongest American women’s fields the race has assembled.
Jessy Carveth and Thomas Watson are reporting from the media center at the finish line in Central Park, and our live watch-along streams from the Tracksmith Trackhouse in Brooklyn from 8 a.m. ET. The professional women start at 8:35 a.m. ET and the professional men at 9:05 a.m. ET. Clocks go back an hour overnight, so every time on this page is Eastern Standard Time.
