50th Anniversary NYC Marathon Draws 60,000 Runners and Costumed Crowds
Andreas Almgren and Sheila Chepkirui take the titles while Brooklyn's Mile Nine tradition and Halloween costumes define the 50th running of the race.
By Natalia Costa ·
The 26.2-mile route through five boroughs reached its 50th anniversary on Sunday, October 25. Nearly 60,000 athletes started the race on Staten Island, crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into the city for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon.
Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won the men’s professional division with a time of two hours, six minutes, and one second. It was his first attempt at the marathon distance. Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui took the women’s title in two hours, 24 minutes, and 36 seconds, securing her second victory in the event within three years.
American runner Jess McClain finished second in the women’s race. She became the first American woman to stand on the podium since 2018. In the wheelchair divisions, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won his record-extending eighth title, while fellow Swiss athlete Catherine Debrunner claimed the women’s wheelchair race.
The course traveled through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Park Slope, Bedford Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg before crossing the Pulaski Bridge into Queens. Runners then moved through the Bronx and Manhattan to finish in Central Park. The 1976 race marked the first time the event expanded beyond Central Park to include all five boroughs.
Carl Radke, a cast member from Bravo’s “Summer House,” finished in three hours, 59 minutes, and 55 seconds. The Greenpoint bar owner beat his four-hour goal by five seconds. He ran for Release Recovery, a group focused on addiction treatment. Radke said the course demands respect, noting that last year’s experience gave him confidence for this year’s attempt.
Crowds along the route brought a Halloween element to the race, which took place one day after the holiday. Spectators in Brooklyn displayed homemade signs with jokes and pop culture references. One person dressed as the house from the movie “Up” held a sign that read “Keep up.” Other signs included phrases like “Pain… fugghedaboutit” and “Even the rats take the subway.”
The annual Lafayette Avenue gathering in Clinton Hill, known as Mile Nine, drew neighbors who provided food and drinks to runners. This tradition has continued for more than two decades. The event served as a major energy boost for athletes tackling the latter part of the course.
Tracy Morgan served as the race’s grand marshal. The comedian watched the event from the 14th floor of the Marlboro Houses in Coney Island. He grew up across the bridge from the race start and recalled his grandfather explaining the event to him as a child. Morgan described the role as an honor and told runners to keep going.
Wheelchair racer Brian Siemann finished 10th in his division. A Brooklyn native, Siemann said returning to the borough for the longest stretch of the race was fun. He credited his University of Illinois training team for his preparation and said he was ready for a break after months of running.
