New York City Marathon 2026: Marcel Hug Wins His Eighth Wheelchair Title in the Closest Finish in Race History
Hug broke the tape in 1:28:14, just 1.13 seconds ahead of Daniel Romanchuk, as more than 60,000 runners from 140 countries took to the five boroughs for the 50th running of the course - with the open titles still being decided behind them.
NEW YORK - The first championship of New York City Marathon morning was decided by about a second. Marcel Hug of Switzerland overtook Daniel Romanchuk in the final 100 meters in Central Park to win the men's professional wheelchair race in 1 hour, 28 minutes, 14 seconds - his eighth New York title, and, USA TODAY reported, the closest victory in the event's history.
Romanchuk, the 28-year-old American who missed last year's race after a shoulder injury suffered in a collision with a spectator at the Sydney Marathon, finished 1.13 seconds behind after the two had raced in a virtual tie for most of the 26.2 miles. Hug, 40, nicknamed the Silver Bullet, added the 2026 crown to wins in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and last year. The women's wheelchair race brought its own comeback: Susannah Scaroni, who gave birth to a son in August, returned seeking her third straight New York wheelchair title and fourth in five years.
The open races were still unfolding as the wheelchair champions finished. Defending champions Benson Kipruto - who won last year's men's race by 0.16 seconds, the smallest margin in race history - and Hellen Obiri, who broke the women's course record in 2:19:51 last year, both returned to defend. The professional women started at 8:35 a.m. Eastern and the professional men at 9:05, in calm, mid-40s conditions, with highs expected near 60 by mid-afternoon.
This year's race marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course, first run on October 24, 1976, when 2,090 starters paid a $5 entry fee and Bill Rodgers and Miki Gorman won. The course itself changed this year for the first time in 15 years. A record 59,226 runners finished in 2025, and more than 60,000 runners from 140 countries were expected on Sunday's course from Staten Island to Central Park.
