Almgren wins his marathon debut as McClain ends America's New York podium drought

Andreas Almgren won New York on his marathon debut, while Jess McClain became the first American woman on its podium since 2018. Elsewhere, Mark Kiptoo cut four minutes from the men's 50-plus marathon world record, and Kenya and India advanced proposals to criminalize supplying doping drugs to athletes.

Key developments

Almgren and Chepkirui win New York

Andreas Almgren won his marathon debut in 2:06:01, following his World Half Marathon title in September. Sheila Chepkirui took her second New York title in 2:24:36, while Jess McClain passed Hellen Obiri late to finish second and end the American women's podium drought dating to 2018.

Almgren's championship success now extends to the marathon, and McClain has a podium finish at a World Marathon Major.

Oct 27–Nov 1 · Runner's World · letsrun.com · Marathon Handbook

Kiptoo resets the over-50 benchmark

Mark Kiptoo ran 2:15 at the Frankfurt Marathon after turning 50, averaging 5:10 per mile. He lowered the men's 50-plus world record by four minutes, breaking a mark that had stood for 35 years.

Elite male marathoners over 50 now have a record target four minutes faster than before.

Oct 27–29 · letsrun.com · Runner's World

Ciara Mageean dies at 34

Ciara Mageean died at 34 after receiving treatment for advanced bowel cancer. The Irish two-time Olympian won European 1,500m gold in 2024.

Irish middle-distance running loses a recent European champion and two-time Olympic representative.

Nov 1 · Marathon Handbook · Canadian Running

Kenya and India target doping suppliers

A bill before Kenya's National Assembly proposes minimum penalties of 5 million shillings ($38,500) or five years in prison for supplying athletes with banned drugs. India's sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said a bill carrying prison terms of up to five years for supplying doping drugs would go to Parliament's Winter Session.

Suppliers in both countries could face criminal penalties beyond the sporting sanctions imposed on athletes.

Oct 29–30 · Marathon Handbook · Marathon Handbook

Siyoum receives eight-year ban

Ethiopian 1,500m runner Mosisa Siyoum received an eight-year ban after testing positive for EPO. The Athletics Integrity Unit added four years for tampering after finding that clinic records submitted to explain the positive were forged or manipulated.

Manipulated evidence doubled the length of Siyoum's exclusion from competition.

Oct 30 · Canadian Running · Marathon Handbook

Flagship racing shoes launch

The Nike Alphafly 4 and Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 launched, with neither selling out on launch day.

Runners had launch-day availability of both new flagship racing shoes rather than an immediate sellout.

Oct 30 · Canadian Running

Strava connects to Gemini

Strava subscribers can now connect their accounts directly to Google Gemini for personalized insights based on their activity history. The integration follows Strava's recent launch with Claude.

Subscribers can explore their training history through another AI service.

Oct 28 · The latest news, events and product upda

Road running gets dedicated oversight

World Athletics created a road-running department led by Jakob Larsen. Its remit covers more than 320 label races and a treadmill world title.

Label road races now fall within a dedicated department at the sport's global governing body.

Oct 30 · Marathon Handbook

Jackson and Molke win Javelina

Heather Jackson and Rob Molke won the Javelina 100 Mile in rainy conditions in Arizona. Des Linden finished ninth in her first 100-miler after leading during the middle miles and slowing significantly after 60 miles.

Linden's first 100-mile race showed the distance's late-race demands even for an established marathoner.

Nov 1 · iRunFar · Runner's World

Fast Valencia times do not become records

American citizen Yaseen Abdalla ran 59:12, faster than Conner Mantz's 59:17 US record, but did not become the record holder. A Spaniard's 58:03 beat Andreas Almgren's 58:06 European mark but counts only as a Spanish record.

The recognized US and European records remain distinct from these faster performances.

Oct 29 · letsrun.com

Also this week

Race results

• Two Belgian runners broke the backyard ultra world record. Trail Runner

• Habtom Samuel won the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K in 13:31, and Rachael Rudel won the women's race in 15:35 in Central Park. letsrun.com

• Philimon Kipchumba won the Istanbul Marathon in a course-record 2:08:45, while Kasanesh Baze led an Ethiopian top five in the women's race. Marathon Handbook

• Bhutanese runners Pema Choki and Jamphel Choda won the extreme-altitude Snowman Race, which featured 17 athletes and aimed to draw attention to climate change. iRunFar · Canadian Running

People and formats

• Frank Gagliano, known as “Gags,” died at 89 after a coaching career spanning more than 60 years that included Olympians and sub-four-minute milers. Runner's World

• New York previews highlighted a men's field with no sub-2:02 runners, Conner Mantz's return after two stress fractures, Annie Frisbie's return after a tibial stress fracture, and Hellen Obiri's bid for a third title. letsrun.com · Runner's World · Canadian Running

• Hyrox formed a partnership with World Triathlon that could help it gain international recognition, with Olympic inclusion remaining a possibility rather than a confirmed outcome. Canadian Running · the5krunner

• The London Marathon is considering allowing male pacers in its elite women's race in 2027 as athletes pursue the marathon world record. Canadian Running

Wearables and apps

• The Fenix 9 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3 both overran the official first transition by more than 40 seconds in an Eton Dorney race test, with automatic leg splits able to drift because neither detects timing mats. the5krunner

• Xiaomi Smart Band 11 went on sale through Xiaomi Spain with an NFC payment option, heart-rate broadcasting to bike computers and underwater heart-rate tracking. the5krunner

• A fitness-band comparison found longer battery life, a larger screen and more training feedback on Xiaomi Smart Band 10 than on Huawei Band 10. the5krunner

• Garmin's CEO said Connect+ subscriptions were exceeding internal forecasts, with the $199.99 screenless CIRQA band attracting new customers while Fenix 9 buyers were mostly upgrading owners. the5krunner · the5krunner

• Squadrats brought owned and missing map squares to a Garmin data field requiring a £29.99 Pro subscription, while free alternative Tiloscope also supports older watches. the5krunner

• A review of 51 studies found bar displays faster to read and less error-prone than radial displays, and reported that most long-term users had never checked their trends. the5krunner

Shoes

• Adidas is rolling out a fix intended to prevent premature wear of the Adizero Adios Pro 5's forefoot foam. Runner's World

• Marathoner Chris Chung described On's Cloudsurfer 3 as the softest On running shoe he had tried in his first impressions. Runner's World

Training evidence

• A study of 12 trained trail runners linked worsening duty factor during prolonged running with poorer fatigue resistance, identifying it as the most sensitive wearable-derived marker of fatigue-related mechanical changes. Some Work, All Play

• A nitrate evidence review reported 2–3% improvements in cyclists' time-trial performance and up to 16% longer time to exhaustion, while a separate report emphasized the importance of dosing. the5krunner · Fit&Well

What to watch

• India's proposed criminal penalties for supplying doping drugs are due to go before Parliament in its Winter Session.

• Kenya's supplier-penalties bill faces public hearings, while London's possible use of male pacers in the 2027 elite women's race awaits a decision; timing for those outcomes has not been announced.