The 2026 NYC Marathon Will Include Previous Champions—and the American Record Holder

Both the women’s and men’s reigning champions of the New York City Marathon will be back in the Big Apple to defend their titles on November 1.Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto—both of Kenya—will return to the race, the New York Road Runners announced on Wednesday.Obiri won last year’s race in a course-record time of 2:19:51, taking two minutes and 40 seconds off the previous record from 2003. It was her third time being on the podium in New York and her second time winning after taking top honors in 2023.“Last year’s TCS New York City Marathon was a dream come true, from breaking the course record and capturing my second title to celebrating with the incredible fans who line every mile of the course,” Obiri said in a press release. “New York always brings out the best in me, and I’m excited to return and feel the energy of each borough during such a historic year.”Ishika Samant//Getty ImagesHellen Obiri won the 2025 New York City Marathon, shattering the course record with a time of 2:19:51.Obiri should be challenged by 2024 Olympic gold medalist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands. Hassan made her NYC debut last year, but was dropped in the second half of the race and finished sixth. She has not competed in 2026 after pulling out of the London Marathon in April with an Achilles injury, but when healthy, is a threat in any race she lines up at.Kipruto won last year’s men’s race in a thriller, barely edging out second-place finisher Alexander Mutiso by three-hundredths of a second. He finished in 2:08:09.This year, Kipruto will face off against a field that includes 2:02 marathoner Deresa Geleta, CyBrian Kotut, and Abdi Nageeye, who won the race in 2024.A look at the American fieldThe American women could be led by Jess McClain, who demolished the American course record in Boston, running 2:20:49 to finish fifth overall. McClain has been on a tear this year, including being named co-champion at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships after being led off course while leading the race. McClain was eighth overall at New York in 2024.Paul Rutherford//Getty ImagesJess McClain broke the American course record at the Boston Marathon in April with a time of 2:20:49.Fiona O’Keeffe returns to New York after a top-four finish last year, although she had to withdraw from the Boston Marathon in April with a hamstring injury. And Annie Frisbie is back after placing fifth in New York last November.One of the biggest storylines will be Weini Kelati making her highly anticipated marathon debut. Kelati holds the American record in the half marathon, 1:06:04, and has broken the record three times since 2024. The 29-year-old was the top American finisher in the 10,000 meters at the 2024 Olympics.“It feels like this is the right moment and this is the right place to [debut] for me, so I'm very excited to see what I can do in my first marathon,” Kelati said at a press conference.The men’s American field at New York could come down to a battle between Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi.Mantz will toe the line for his first 26.2 since breaking the American record at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, where he ran 2:04:43 to finish fourth. However, Mantz has struggled with injuries—including a sacral stress fracture—since his record-setting run and only returned to racing this month at the Falmouth Road Race. He said at a press conference that he’s less concerned about gunning for the win, instead focusing on avoiding any setbacks during his training block.“I want to get to the start line 100 percent healthy and then see what happens,” he said. “I think I’m competitive. I think if I can get to the start line healthy, and then I can build up, I can have enough mileage in my legs, [and] I think I can do pretty well.”Talbi, on the other hand, has been red-hot this year. In January, he broke the course record at the Houston Marathon, winning in 2:05:45, then set the American course record at the Boston Marathon in 2:03:45, taking fifth overall. Born in Morocco, Talbi became a U.S. citizen in 2025 and has emerged as one of the favorites to make the 2028 Olympic team.Also keep an eye out for Joe Klecker and Ryan Ford in New York. The On Athletics Club teammates both ran under 2:06 at Boston this year and have run well in NYC in previous years.Theo Kahler is the senior news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:37 in the half marathon, and finished 40th at the 2025 New York City Marathon. He enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)