In his debut at the distance, Andreas Almgren ran today’s New York City Marathon like a veteran, perfectly marshaling his energy for one big move in the final mile to win in 2:06:01. The Swede is the first European-born man to win the race since Giacomo Leone in 1996.
Yeman Crippa of Italy, who was the last to hang with Almgren, placed second in 2:06:14 (and then promptly vomited). Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho outkicked defending champion Benson Kipruto in the final meters to finish third in a personal best of 2:06:26, one second ahead of Kipruto.
Zouhair Talbi, who occasionally took the lead between halfway and 30K (18.6 miles), was the top U.S. finisher, placing sixth in 2:06:43. In his debut marathon, Ahmed Muhumed was the second American, finishing seventh in 2:07:02. Ryan Ford was the third U.S. finisher, placing 10th in 2:07:17. Conner Mantz, running his first marathon since setting the U.S. record last year in Chicago, was 11th in 2:07:27.
Almgren is a world-class track runner—he won bronze at 10,000 meters at last year’s world championships—who has quickly also mastered road racing. Six weeks ago, he won the world half marathon championship in a national record of 58:06. He even boasts an 800-meter best of 1:45, a borderline world-class time that none of his competitors has run.
Despite that pedigree, none of the seasoned marathoners made a serious effort to drop Almgren far out from the finish. Fifteen men remained bunched at the 35K (21.7 miles) mark.
The real racing didn’t start until defending champ Kipruto surged to a 4:38 24th mile. That led to him, Almgren, and Crippa separating. Almgren, who trains by kilometers instead of miles, waited until just before 40K (24.9 miles) to take the lead for the first time. Crippa was able to stick with him for another kilometer, but right as Crippa snuck a look back on Central Park South, Almgren surged again and ran unchallenged to the finish.
When asked after the race whether he thought the moderate first 30 kilometers was playing into his hands, Almgren said, “Kinda, but not really. I mean, this is my first marathon. I don’t really know how it’s supposed to feel at those different points.”
At 20 miles, Almgren said, “I was like, ‘Shit, I’m tired. Why are my legs feeling like this?’” But a few minutes later, “I just started feeling like, ‘It’s pretty easy to respond now to the moves.’ So somewhere around there I felt like, ‘Okay, this might be my day.’”
Known as a meticulous planner and trainer, Almgren watched last year’s marathon from three spots—from mile 8 in Brooklyn, in the 17th mile along First Avenue in Manhattan, and near the finish in Central Park. That evening, he texted his manager that he wanted to race here this year.
Almgren earned $100,000 for the win, with Crippa and Mofolo getting $60,000 and $40,000, respectively, for placing second and third. Talbi earned $25,000 for being the first U.S. finisher.
Mofolo might especially enjoy his earnings, given that today is his 21st birthday and he can now legally visit a tavern or two should the mood strike. He’s one to keep an eye on. He debuted at Cape Town in May, placing 11th in 2:08:50, and not only improved significantly but ran fearlessly, even taking a brief solo lead around the 20-mile mark.
For what was such a moderate race early on, with the leaders passing halfway between 64:01 and 64:04, the finishing times significantly rewrote the event’s all-time performance list. Almgren’s 2:06:01 ties the fourth fastest in race history, and Crippa, Mofolo, Kipruto, Haftu Strintzos (fifth in 2:06:34), and Talbi are also now in the top ten.
