Sheila Chepkirui defeated defending champion Hellen Obiri to claim her second women's title at the 2026 New York City Marathon on Sunday. The victory extends a streak where two Kenyan athletes have won the last four editions of the race, with Obiri taking the top spot in 2023 and 2025, and Chepkirui winning in 2024. Chepkirui crossed the finish line in 2:24:36, narrowly edging out American Jessica McClain at 2:24:42 and Obiri at 2:24:43.
In the men's competition, Swedish runner Andreas Almgren finished first with a time of 2:06:01 in his debut World Major Marathon. He was followed by Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa at 2:06:14 and Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo at 2:06:26. Last year's champion, Kenya's Benson Kipruto, placed fourth with a time of 2:06:27.
Chepkirui's win was achieved wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3, marking her as the eighth major marathon winner in 2026 to compete in this model. The shoe has been central to a dominant year for Adidas, which also saw Kenyan Sebastian Sawe achieve the first official sub-two-hour finish at the London Marathon and Tigst Assefa set a new women's world record at the same event. Out of 14 major marathon winners in 2026, eight wore the Pro Evo 3, while one additional victory was recorded with the Pro Evo 2.
The Adizero Adios Pro 3 weighs just 97 grams for a men's size 9.5, making it 30 percent lighter than its predecessor and offering a 1.6 improvement in running economy. It stands as the lightest race-legal running shoe ever recorded. Yomif Kejelch also utilized the Pro Evo 3 to become the second man to finish a marathon in under two hours during the London event. The model swept the podiums at the London, Berlin, and Chicago Marathons, with all six finishers on the Berlin podium wearing the same shoe.
Charlotte Heidmann, Adidas category director for Adizero, noted that collaboration continues to push boundaries beyond perceived limits. She highlighted the reduction in weight from 138 grams in the Pro Evo 1 to the current standard as a testament to what is possible through innovation.
Andreas Almgren's victory came in the Nike Apex, securing the shoe's first win in a major marathon. Scheduled for release in January, the Apex features two stacked Air Zoom units at the forefoot and boasts a 40 percent improvement in energy return compared to the Alphafly 3. The model also offers 10 percent greater energy than the Alphafly 4, which launched in September.
In previous years, Obiri set a new women's course record of 2:19:51 at the NYC Marathon wearing the On Cloudboom Strike LS, while Kipruto won the men's race in the event's closest-ever finish using the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2.
Sources: WWD.