New York City Marathon 2026: Obiri and Hassan renew rivalry

Hellen Obiri will defend her New York City Marathon title against Sifan Hassan when the 2026 race is held on November 1. Benson Kipruto will headline the men’s field as the event marks the 50th running of its five-borough course.

Obiri won the women’s race in 2025 and set a course record of 2:19:51, claiming her second New York title. The Kenyan then lowered her personal best to 2:15:53 while finishing second at the London Marathon earlier this year.

Hassan finished sixth in New York last year, but she returns with the fastest marathon best among the women entered. The three-time Olympic champion ran 2:13:44 in Chicago in 2023. She later withdrew from this year’s London Marathon because of an Achilles tendon injury.

The women’s field also includes 2024 champion Sheila Chepkirui, who placed third in 2025, and Julia Paternain, the 2025 world championships marathon bronze medallist. Weini Kelati will make her marathon debut after setting the American half-marathon record, while Annie Frisbie, Fiona O’Keeffe, Jess McClain, Gotytom Gebreslase, Viola Cheptoo and Edna Kiplagat add further depth.

Kipruto won on his New York debut last year by the narrowest of margins. The Kenyan, who also took bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will face former champions Abdi Nageeye and Geoffrey Kamworor. Conner Mantz, the top American in sixth place in 2024, is also returning, alongside Zouhair Talbi and Joel Reichow, who was the fastest American in the 2025 race.

The men’s newcomers include Ethiopians Deresa Geleta and Huseydin Mohamed Esa, Kenya’s CyBrian Kotut and Britain’s Patrick Dever. Swedish distance runner Andreas Almgren is set to make his marathon debut. In the wheelchair races, Marcel Hug will seek an eighth men’s title, while Catherine Debrunner will lead the women’s contest against Tatyana McFadden, Madison de Rozario and Eden Rainbow-Cooper.