It's been a phenomenal year for Andreas Almgren.
Claiming 10,000m gold at the European Athletics Championships in August, Almgren broke the European half-marathon record in Copenhagen a month later, but the Swede had ambitions of testing himself among the elite over 26.2 miles.
The New York City Marathon marked the 31-year-old Swede's debut over the distance - he had never ran further than 32k before September - and while several critics questioned his credentials, Almgren delivered all of the answers with a stunning performance to pull away from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile and take the victory in two hours, six minutes and one second.
“I’ve probably never felt so emotional after a race ever,” said Almgren. “With 5k left I felt like I had the legs today … I saw I had a pretty big gap [near the end of the race] and thought: ‘OK, just enjoy these last few hundred meters’, because this is not something a lot of people get to experience.”
Given New York City is a notoriously demanding course, there's great intrigue and expectation concerning what Almgren might achieve next.
2026 New York City Marathon Prize Money
Following his scintillating success in the New York City Marathon, Almgren pocketed $100,000 in prize money.
Whilst it's not the most lucrative marathon - Boston holds the largest total prize purse among World Marathon Majors at $868,500 and pays the winner $150,000 - winning the New York City extravaganza provides arguably the biggest brand endorsement.
Almgren's manager Daniel Wessfeldt revealed several companies had contacted the Swedish sensation prior to his NYC triumph, and he will have the pick of the offers following his historic run.
Open Division Prize Money
- 1st $100,000
- 2nd $60,000
- 3rd $40,000
- 4th $25,000
- 5th $15,000
- 6th $10,000
- 7th $7,500
- 8th $5,000
- 9th $2,500
- 10th $2,000
On top of the funds on offer for placing in the top 10, the winner will receive a bonus $50,000 if they break the course record.
