Andreas Almgren: Swedish math master's graduate who quit his data scientist job, watched NYC Marathon last year and returned to win it on debut

Andreas Almgren produced a remarkable marathon debut to take victory in the men’s race at the NYC Marathon 2026. Andreas Almgren came to watch the New York City Marathon a year ago and decided that night he was going to make his debut in the event this year. The Swedish half-marathon star won his debut in the 26.2-mile distance Sunday, running the third-fastest time in race history. He finished in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. That was 13 seconds faster than the second-place finisher Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy, who also was making his New York City debut. “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.”

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Who is Andreas Almgren?

Andreas Almgren is a Swedish distance runner who won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in his first marathon. Born on June 12, 1995, in Sollentuna, Sweden, Almgren worked as a risk analyst at a financial company and then as a data scientist for a sports tech software company before becoming a full-time runner, reports news agency AP. He has studied for a master’s degree in mathematics, according to LetsRun.

A stress fracture derailed his 2024 Paris Olympic hopes and then he decided to quit his job and focus on running full-time, acting as his own coach. Almgren had a record-setting 2025, winning the Valencia Half Marathon in 58:41. He became the first non-African-born runner to break the 59-minute mark.

He won his first Diamond League race at home in Stockholm in a European 5,000m record of 12:44.27, set a European half marathon record in Valencia and took bronze in the 10,000m at the world championships in Tokyo. In 2026 he won the European 10,000m title in Birmingham by 19 seconds in a championship record, then outkicked Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir to win the world half marathon title in Copenhagen in a European record of 58:06.

He picked New York for his debut on purpose. Faster courses like Berlin, Chicago and Valencia would have pulled him into a pace set by pacemakers and East African stars. New York has no pacemakers and a hilly course, which favors a runner with a track kick. Some of his biggest titles are: World half marathon champion (2026), European 10,000m champion (2026), world 10,000m bronze (2025), world junior 800m bronze (2014).

Career timeline

1995: Born June 12 in Sollentuna, Sweden.

Teens: Plays youth soccer for AIK as a right back. Injuries push him to the track.

2014: Wins bronze in the 800m at the world junior championships in Eugene, Oregon.

2015: Runs his 800m best of 1:45.59 and competes at the world championships in Beijing.

2022: Finishes 4th in the 5,000m at the European Championships in Munich.

2024: Runs 26:52.87 for 10,000m, a Swedish record. Finishes 4th in the 10,000m at the European Championships in Rome.

2025: Quits his job as a data scientist at Svexa to run full-time.

June 2025: Wins the Diamond League meet in Stockholm in a European 5,000m record of 12:44.27.

2025: Sets a European half marathon record of 58:41 in Valencia.

September 2025: Wins bronze in the 10,000m at the world championships in Tokyo.

August 2026: Wins the European 10,000m title in Birmingham in a championship record of 27:23.44.

Sept. 20, 2026: Wins the world half marathon title in Copenhagen in a European record of 58:06.

Nov. 1, 2026: Wins the New York City Marathon in 2:06:01 in his marathon debut.

Notable races & records

New York 2026: He sat in the lead pack, was one of four men left with about 5 kilometers to go and broke Crippa in the final mile. He finished in 2:06:01, 13 seconds ahead. Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo was third, ahead of defending champion Benson Kipruto. Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that his time is the fourth-fastest winning time in the race’s history.

World half marathon 2026: He let Kipkorir lead, then passed him in sight of the finish and won by five seconds in 58:06. That cut 35 seconds off his own European record. He was the first non-African man to win the title in 30 years, according to LetsRun.

European 10,000m 2026: He took the lead before 1,200 meters and was never caught, lapping all but six runners. His 27:23.44 broke a championship record that had stood since 1978.

Stockholm 2025: His 12:44.27 for 5,000m in front of a home crowd broke the European record.