The New York City Marathon reclaimed its spot as the top marathon to rule all races at the distance on Sunday after organizers revealed that the event set a new world record for finishers — its third straight.
New York Road Runners said on Monday that 61,146 participants crossed the finish line in Central Park, topping the London Marathon total of 59,830 from April’s race.
The event is also the first of any marathon to officially see more than 60,000 runners complete a race.
Andreas Almgren won the men’s event in his debut marathon in 2:06:01, while Sheila Chepkirui pulled away from Hellen Obiri late to take the victory over the women’s field in 2:24:36, her second win after grabbing the title in 2024.
According to NYRR, 61,529 people started the race in Staten Island with men making up 32,047 of the finishers, women at 28,942 and 157 nonbinary participants crossing the line. International finishers made up 15,745 of the runners in the field and 153 countries were represented in Sunday’s race, while all 50 states took part, along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
The race also surpassed its $100 million fundraising goal before the first athletes hit the start line, with more than 670 charity partners on board as part of an expanded program that NYRR said was a reflection of its pact to give back to communities that have continually supported the marathon over the years.
The world record crown has bounced around several times in recent years, with Paris claiming 57,516 finishers in its race in April, which was quickly bested by London just two weeks later. The 2025 NYC Marathon grabbed the title with 59,226 finishers, taking the then-title from London, which had 56,640 finishers months earlier.
New York’s reign as the record holder could again last just a few months, since London will field 100,000 participants in its 2027 race on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. But what is unclear is whether the two-day format will count as a single record for one event or be treated as separate races.
London Marathon Events confirmed in June that its “Double” would be part of a larger effort to top the more than $120 million raised by its 2026 edition in April. Meanwhile, organizers said that next year’s format change will be a one-time alteration to the race, which will revert to a single-day showcase in 2028.
