Britain’s Patrick Dever finished fourth last year, one second shy of third place, only for a doping ban to promote him later. As the 50th five-borough race nears, he faces a field that has lost Sifan Hassan but gained European record-breaker Andreas Almgren.

Patrick Dever crossed the line fourth on his marathon debut in New York last November, one second behind Albert Korir – and was delighted with it. He later discovered he had finished third after all, when Korir was banned for five years after positive drugs tests.

The 30-year-old Preston Harrier returns to the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday (Nov 1) as Britain’s leading hope in the 50th anniversary race through all five boroughs. His PB of 2:06:18 makes him the third-fastest Briton in history behind Mo Farah and Mahamed Mahamed. He ran it in London in April, finishing 11th on the day Sabastian Sawe broke the world record with 1:59:30.

Dever chose New York over a home European Championships marathon in Birmingham because marathons take his body “a while to recover” and the autumn gave him longer to rebuild after London. There is a tactical angle too. With the Los Angeles Olympics his big focus, he wants to practise “championships-style racing” without the pacemakers he had in London, and New York has none.

On paper the task is steep. Not counting the three debutants, Dever is 15th on the start list by PB and eight men in the field have run faster than the 2:04:58 course record set by Tamirat Tola in 2023. But New York is a race of surges rather than splits, with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in the first mile, the Queensboro Bridge in the middle and the drag up Fifth Avenue late on. The route has also been tweaked in the Bronx for the first time in 15 years. Last year, Dever showed he could stay in contention when it mattered.

Jack Rowe, who ran a PB of 2:07:47 in London, and Phily Bowden, the Manchester-based runner with a best of 2:25:57, are also in the professional fields. Ireland’s Peter Lynch, who set the national record of 2:06:08 in London, adds interest on this side of the Atlantic.

Kipruto seeks a rare repeat

The defending champion, Benson Kipruto, 35, won last year in 2:08:09, edging fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso by three hundredths of a second in the closest finish in the race’s history. No man has retained the New York title since John Kagwe in 1998, but the Paris Olympic bronze medallist arrives in good order. He ran 2:02:50 for third at Boston in April, in a race won in a course record of 2:01:52, and has now won four World Marathon Majors.

Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta, the Tokyo runner-up last year, holds the second-fastest PB in the field at 2:02:38 and makes his New York debut, as does Kenya’s CyBrian Kotut, who has run 2:03:22. Two-time champion Geoffrey Kamworor has finished on the podium in four of his five New York appearances and ran 2:05:38 in London in April. Abdi Nageeye, the 2024 winner, is the Dutch record-holder with 2:04:20, while Italy’s Yeman Crippa, a six-time European Championships medallist, has run 2:05:18.

The field has been depleted, though. Reigning European champion Iliass Aouani, the Italian record-holder and 2025 World Championships bronze medallist, has withdrawn, as have Americans Casey Clinger, Paul Chelimo and Jared Ward.

Almgren’s marathon gamble

The most intriguing debutant is Sweden’s Andreas Almgren. The 31-year-old is the European record-holder over 5000m, 10km and the half-marathon and won the European 10,000m title in Birmingham in a championship record of 27:23.44. On September 20 he became world half-marathon champion in Copenhagen, running a European record of 58:06 to beat Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir by five seconds. No European man had won that title since 1996.

He could have chosen a fast, paced course for his marathon debut. Instead he picked New York, where the hills are relentless and finishing positions count for more than the clock. Almgren told The Athletic he is going in with “this childish naivety” that he can race for the win. Barring something “extremely crazy”, he expects to be with the leaders until at least Central Park at mile 24. He says he does not care about the time and simply wants to race.

Kenya’s Patrick Kiprop, who ran 59:14 for second at the Houston Half Marathon this year, and American Ahmed Muhumed are the other men making their marathon debuts.

Mantz and Talbi renew their duel

America’s two fastest marathoners in history are on the same start line again. Conner Mantz holds the American record of 2:04:43, set when he finished fourth in Chicago last October, but stress fractures forced him out of Boston. He returned in August at the Falmouth Road Race and ran the world half-marathon championships in Copenhagen in September, where the USA took team bronze.

Zouhair Talbi edged Mantz by two seconds at Falmouth. He ran 2:03:45 for fifth at Boston, the quickest time by an American on any course, although Boston’s point-to-point route means it cannot count as a record. Mantz leads their marathon head-to-heads 2-1 but is still chasing his first podium finish at a major. Ryan Ford and Joe Klecker, who both ran inside 2:06 at Boston, add depth to the American challenge.

Obiri chases a third title

Hellen Obiri is the favourite in the women’s race. The Kenyan broke Margaret Okayo’s 22-year-old course record last year, winning in 2:19:51 as the whole podium went under the old mark. Since then she has won the NYC Half and run a PB of 2:15:53 for second in London behind Tigist Assefa’s women-only world record. “New York always brings out the best in me,” she says.

A third victory would put her alongside Paula Radcliffe as a three-time champion, with only Grete Waitz and Mary Keitany having won more. The field she faces is thinner than it looked in August. Hassan, who has not raced since finishing sixth last November, withdrew on October 14 because of illness, having missed London with an Achilles injury. Ethiopia’s two-time world medallist Gotytom Gebreslase is also out, as is American Fiona O’Keeffe, last year’s top American, after hamstring surgery.

On the updated start list, four women have run under 2:20: Obiri, 2024 champion Sheila Chepkirui (2:17:29), Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo (2:19:05) and 2010 champion Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50). Chepkirui was third last year and will be chasing a third successive podium finish.

The American women are one of the strongest groups the race has assembled. Weini Kelati, 29, makes her marathon debut after lowering her American half-marathon record to 1:06:04 in Barcelona in March, and she has finished first or second in four of her six previous New York Road Runners races. Jess McClain broke the American course record at Boston with 2:20:49 for fifth, while Uruguay’s Julia Paternain, a surprise bronze medallist at the 2025 World Championships, is also in the field. Or should we make that silver medallist? As the winner that day, Peres Jepchirchir, was recently banned for doping.

Wheelchair races

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, the course record-holder, goes for an eighth New York title after winning in Tokyo, Boston and London this year. Britain’s David Weir, the 2010 champion who was on last year’s podium, Johnboy Smith and Simon Lawson will try to stop him, along with three-time champion Daniel Romanchuk and American Aaron Pike. Ireland’s Patrick Monahan is also in the field.

In the women’s race, defending champion Susannah Scaroni of the USA faces Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper, the reigning Boston and NYC Half champion, course record-holder Catherine Debrunner and five-time champion Tatyana McFadden, who has won 22 Paralympic medals.

How to follow

The women’s elite race starts at 8.35am local time (1.35pm UK time) and the men’s race at 9.05am (2.05pm UK time). The wheelchair races are scheduled for 8am and 8.02am (1pm and 1.02pm UK time). The USA changes its clocks at 2am on race day, so New York is five hours behind the UK rather than the usual four. In the UK, live coverage is expected to run from 1.15pm to 4.15pm on TNT Sports and HBO Max. In the USA the race is on ESPN2 and WABC-TV and results and tracking are available via the TCS New York City Marathon app and results.nyrr.org.