Last updated: November 1, 2026
Photo: Frankie Fouganthin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Andreas Almgren is a Swedish distance runner who won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in his first marathon. He ran 2:06:01 and pulled away from Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile to win by 13 seconds. He is the first Swede to win the race and the first Swede to win any major marathon, according to NBC Sports, and the first European-born man to win New York since 1996. It capped a year in which he also won the European 10,000m title and the world half marathon title. He got here the long way. He was a youth soccer player, then a junior medalist at 800m, then a part-time data scientist who designs nearly all of his own training.
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Quick facts
Born: June 12, 1995, in Sollentuna, Sweden, just north of Stockholm (age 31)
Sponsor: Nike
Coach: Mostly himself. He writes his own workouts, with a support team that includes Nike’s head of running innovation, Jordan Donnelly, and his high school coach, Urban Aruhn, as a mentor.
Day job before going full-time: Data scientist at the Swedish sports technology company Svexa. He quit in 2025.
Education: Has studied for a master’s degree in mathematics, according to LetsRun.
Marathon best: 2:06:01, winning the 2026 New York City Marathon in his debut
Biggest titles: World half marathon champion (2026), European 10,000m champion (2026), world 10,000m bronze (2025), world junior 800m bronze (2014)
Records: European records in the 5,000m (12:44.27) and the half marathon (58:06)
Known for: Moving up from the 800m to the marathon, and winning New York on his first try
Who is Andreas Almgren?
Almgren grew up in Sollentuna, a suburb just north of Stockholm. As a teenager he was a talented soccer player and played right back in the youth ranks of AIK, one of Sweden’s best-known clubs, according to LetsRun. Injuries pushed him toward the track.
He started as a middle-distance runner. In 2014 he won bronze in the 800m at the world junior championships in Eugene, Oregon. A string of stress fractures then threatened his career, so he moved up again, this time to the longer distances. “Ten years ago, we joked that maybe one day I would run a 5km race,” he told World Athletics in September.
For years he was fast but didn’t win when it counted. By 2024 he had run 26:52 for 10,000m, the fastest ever by a European-born runner, but he had never made a global final or won a senior European championship medal, according to LetsRun. He trained on the “double threshold” system made popular by Norway’s Ingebrigtsen brothers. He also had a second career. He has studied for a master’s degree in mathematics and worked part-time as a data scientist at Svexa, a Swedish sports technology company.
That’s when Nike got more involved. Jordan Donnelly, who was moving from On to become Nike’s head of innovation for running, started asking Almgren how much he slept, when he trained at altitude and why he kept getting hurt before championships. “We mapped out his life, essentially,” Donnelly told LetsRun. One change was more heat training. In 2025 Almgren quit his data science job to run full-time, and his results took off.
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.
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.
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What he’s known for
Coaching himself: “I would say he’s 99% self-coached,” Donnelly told LetsRun. Almgren writes his workouts and designs his training. His team handles the rest, including fueling advice from a contact at Maurten and a physiologist from the Swedish federation.
A secret marathon build: He trained “in secret” for about a year for New York, according to Expressen. “I just had to keep the secret, which was a bit of a pain,” he said (translated from Swedish).
Huge training: For the marathon he raised his mileage from about 200 kilometers a week to a peak of 235, added long runs of 35 kilometers or more at a hard pace and once ran 46 kilometers in a day. He trained at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona, where Nike has a training hub.
Training for the course: He did extra downhill running and strength work for his quads to get ready for New York’s hills and the final climb up Fifth Avenue into Central Park.
The kick: He has won his biggest races by sitting in the pack and finishing fast, and he ran his final mile in New York in about 4:30, according to Yahoo Sports.
In the news
Nov. 1, 2026: Almgren won the New York City Marathon in 2:06:01 in his debut, beating Crippa by 13 seconds. NBC Sports called him the first Swede to win any major marathon. Before the race, LetsRun reported he was the betting favorite.
Nov. 1, 2026: On race morning, Expressen published a look inside his training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, including his year of secret marathon preparation.
Oct. 27, 2026: LetsRun reported that Nike’s Jordan Donnelly called his build-up “the most impressive training I’ve ever seen.” It also described a 40-kilometer long run in which each 10K was faster than the one before.
Quotes
“Ten years ago, we joked that maybe one day I would run a 5km race. Now I am world champion in the half marathon and I am going to have my marathon debut in New York in about a month.” — World Athletics, Sept. 20, 2026
“This gold medal means so much to me… I did not only have one or two gears left, I had three or four.” — World Athletics, Sept. 20, 2026
“It fits me coming from the track that New York is usually quite slow the first half, and then it’s progressively faster. In road races, I’m a good kicker.” — The Athletic, October 2026
“For New York, it’s quite a lot of hills and a lot of people don’t really condition themselves for downhill running. I’ve done a lot of extra work for my quads and eccentric strength.” — The Athletic, October 2026
“If you’re not prepared and strong enough, your stride is going to collapse mechanically.” — Expressen, Nov. 1, 2026 (translated from Swedish), on Central Park’s hills
Setbacks
Stress fractures: A series of stress fractures nearly ended his career as an 800m runner, according to LetsRun.
Missing the big moments: For years he ran fast times but got hurt before major championships. He did not make a global final until 2025, according to LetsRun.
Near misses: He finished 4th at the European Championships three times, in the 5,000m in 2022, the 10,000m in 2024 and the indoor 3,000m in 2025.
Net worth & money
There is no reliable published estimate of Andreas Almgren’s net worth, and Nike has not disclosed the terms of his contract. What is public is New York’s prize money. The winner of the open division gets $100,000 under the race’s published prize schedule. He did not break Tamirat Tola’s course record of 2:04:58, so he did not earn the $50,000 record bonus. Elite runners also earn appearance fees and sponsor bonuses, which are rarely made public.
FAQ
Who is Andreas Almgren?
Andreas Almgren is a Swedish distance runner who won the 2026 New York City Marathon in his debut. He is also the 2026 world half marathon champion and European 10,000m champion.
What was Andreas Almgren’s time in the NYC Marathon?
2:06:01, 13 seconds ahead of Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa.
Was the NYC Marathon Andreas Almgren’s first marathon?
Yes. New York on Nov. 1, 2026, was his marathon debut.
How old is Andreas Almgren?
He was born on June 12, 1995, so he is 31.
Who coaches Andreas Almgren?
He mostly coaches himself. He writes his own training, and his support team includes Nike’s Jordan Donnelly and his old high school coach, Urban Aruhn.
Who sponsors Andreas Almgren?
Nike.
How much did Andreas Almgren win in New York?
$100,000 for first place, under the race’s published prize schedule.
Further reading
New York City Marathon: Andreas Almgren, Sheila Chepkirui win; Jess McClain ends U.S. podium drought — NBC Sports
Andreas Almgren wins men’s race in NYC in marathon debut, Sheila Chepkirui wins women’s race again — AP
Almgren runs European record to win world half marathon title in Copenhagen — World Athletics
Men’s 10,000m report: Almgren destroys the field with a championship record of 27:23.44 — European Athletics
Andreas Almgren tvingades hålla allt hemligt — Expressen (in Swedish)
The Profile Dossier: Eliud Kipchoge, the Human Who Has No Limits — The Profile
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