Andreas Almgren wins NYC Marathon in 2:06:01 debut

2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. That was the time Swedish runner Andreas Almgren posted on Sunday to win the New York City Marathon. It marked the third-fastest time in the history of the race.

Almgren secured the title in his first attempt at the 26.2-mile distance. He finished 13 seconds ahead of Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy. Crippa was also making his debut in the New York City event. Almgren became the first Swedish runner to win the race.

The decision to enter the marathon came suddenly for Almgren. A year ago, he watched the event from three different locations. He observed the crowds in Brooklyn near Mile 8, the spectators on the bridge into Manhattan, and the finale in Central Park. After that night, he decided to make his debut this year. "Started talking about plans, my long-term plans, in my mind I thought it was a good plan," Almgren said. "Here we are a year later and I won this race."

Almgren's path to the podium required a career change. Before becoming a full-time athlete, he worked as a risk analyst at a financial company. He later moved to a data scientist role at a sports tech software firm. A stress fracture ended his 2024 Paris Olympic campaign. He subsequently quit his job to focus entirely on running. He now acts as his own coach.

The 2025 season prepared him for this performance. Almgren set a world record in the half marathon at Valencia. He finished that race in 58 minutes and 41 seconds. He became the first runner not born in Africa to break the 59-minute barrier. In New York, he felt strong with about six miles remaining. It was not until the final miles in Central Park that he knew he could win. "It's was kind of like where I knew I had a shot at winning this," he said.

Weather conditions aided the fast times. Temperatures hovered in the mid-50s Fahrenheit on Sunday. Almgren led a group of six runners who finished under 2 hours and 7 minutes. Approximately 60,000 runners participated in the event.