Dutch star Sifan Hassan is headed back to the streets of New York this fall, joining a professional field for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon that reads like a who's-who of world distance running. New York Road Runners announced the full roster on Wednesday for the November 1 race, which marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course that has defined the event since 1976.
Hassan, a three-time Olympic champion who holds the professional field's fastest personal best at 2:13:44, withdrew from the 2026 London Marathon because of an Achilles tendon injury, according to Canadian Running Magazine. Her return to New York carries extra weight given she finished sixth in the race last year and is now trying to prove she's fully recovered. She'll line up against defending women's champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who returns to headline the open division, according to ABC7 New York.
On the men's side, Kenya's Benson Kipruto returns to headline the open division as a defending champion, ABC7 New York reports. The American lineup is deep this year, with Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker, Zouhair Talbi and Jess McClain all part of the domestic contingent, while Weini Kelati is set to make her marathon debut on the world's biggest stage. Former champions Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye are also slated to return.
Wheelchair Division Sees Major Comebacks
The wheelchair races bring their own drama. Defending men's champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland is chasing an eighth career New York victory after already winning major marathons in Tokyo, Boston and London earlier this year, per NYRR. Hug holds the course's wheelchair record of 1:25:26, set in 2022.
Three-time NYC wheelchair champion Daniel Romanchuk is back after an injury sidelined him from the 2025 race. He arrives fresh off a win at the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half and a second-place finish at the Boston Marathon, giving the American a strong case heading into November. Tatyana McFadden, Madison De Rozario, David Weir and Catherine Debrunner are also among the former champions returning to the field.
Altogether, the professional field includes 25 Olympic, Paralympic and world championships medalists, 40 Olympians and Paralympians, and 22 national record holders, according to ABC7 New York.
A Course Built on 50 Years of History
The New York City Marathon began in 1976 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration, expanding beyond Central Park to weave through all five boroughs for the first time. Before that shift, the race had been held exclusively in Central Park from 1970 through 1975, a run NYRR is spotlighting this year through its Trailblazers campaign, which honors the five people credited with creating the five-borough route: Ted Corbitt, George Hirsch, Fred Lebow, George Spitz and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton.
To mark the milestone, NYRR is also bringing back 1976 men's winner Bill Rodgers, who holds the men's open course record with four New York titles, along with Danielle Mika Nagel, daughter of 1976 women's winner Miki Gorman, for race-week celebrations. Gorman remained the last American woman to win the race until 2017.
The 26.2-mile course itself is no easy path to a fast time. It climbs roughly 810 feet across the five boroughs, with most of that elevation gain concentrated on five bridges — the Verrazzano-Narrows, Pulaski, Queensboro, Willis Avenue and Madison Avenue spans — making it more of a tactical grind than a flat record-chasing track, according to RunDida.
Record Demand and Record Fundraising
Interest in running New York has never been higher. More than 240,000 hopefuls entered the lottery for the 2026 race in February, resulting in an acceptance rate of roughly 1%, per MarathonGuide. Non-NYRR members trying to qualify through time standards needed a cushion of more than 22 minutes under the posted qualifying times just to gain entry.
The charity side of the race has grown just as fast. NYRR expanded its charity partner program to more than 670 organizations for 2026, with a target of raising over $100 million, building on a record $80 million raised by 14,000 charity runners in 2025. The program has raised nearly $700 million since 2006. Hoodline previously reported on one such effort, when an Astoria firm's marathon fundraiser aimed to support a Queens youth center.
Last year's race already set the bar high, finishing as the largest marathon in history with 59,226 finishers representing 130 countries, breaking the previous record set in 2024. Nearly 60,000 participants and more than two million spectators are again expected to line the five-borough course this November, with the race broadcast on ABC7, ESPN2 and WABC-TV, which have carried the marathon since 2013.
For the top open-division finishers, the payouts are significant: first-place men's and women's winners receive $100,000 each, with $60,000 going to second place and payouts continuing down through tenth, according to CBS News. Those prize purses remain reserved for elite and invited athletes as the city prepares for a 50th-anniversary race that organizers and runners alike are treating as a landmark moment for the sport.
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