Number 2 has to be Kenyan Helen Obiri’s favorite number. The two-time world champion, two-time Boston Marathon winner and two-time Olympic silver medalist is now a two-time New York Half Marathon champion after winning the women’s race at the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon.
South Africa’s Adrian Wildshut, the national record holder in the 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and half marathon, won the men’s race in the closing stages.
Around 7km into the women’s race, Ngetich, who had led from the start, picked up the pace a bit and soon the four leaders – Obiri, Sharon Lokedi, Fentaye Belayne and Ngetich, who crossed the 5km mark in 15:15 – split. Only Obiri kept the fast pace behind him. The two covered 10km in 30:50, with Belaine and Lockedy nine seconds behind.
Obiri sometimes moved shoulder to shoulder with Ngetich, then moved back to his back. As they neared 15km, Obirir seemed to sense some hints of a fight in Ngetich and took the opportunity to break away, which Ngetich had no answer for.
Obiri was suddenly running alone as he crossed the 15K mark, already 30 seconds ahead of Ngetich. A group of three runners, Lockedy, Megan Keith and Belayne, were 6 seconds behind.
After no one followed in 20K in 1:03:02, Obiri was already confident of victory as he went on to win the race in a new record time of 1:06:33. Lokodi followed with a 1:07:10 for second place, ahead of Great Britain’s Megan Keith in 1:07:13.
The men’s race unfolded differently, with a huge leading pack going together almost to the final stage. 18 runners crossed the 5K mark in 13:57, then 14 were still together through the 10K mark in 27:56 and the number stayed together until the 15K mark in 42:24.
However, soon after that, Wildschut finally decided to follow his coach’s advice. He made a move with less than 5km to go and the gap behind him began to widen.
At 20K, Wildshoot was eleven seconds ahead, with USA’s Zuhair Talbi and India’s Gulveer Singh forming a two-man pack behind him.
The order remained the same at the finish line as Wildshut won the race in 59:30. Talbi followed with 59:41, just ahead of Singh’s 59:42.
