Almgren before the marathon debut: "Incredible atmosphere"

Back the tape one year, to the New York Marathon 2025. Andreas Almgren was there in "The Big Apple" then, as a spectator and cheerleader for close friend and former national team runner Johan Rogestedt.

- Before I was there, I hadn't quite decided to run myself. But then I saw the race and everything around and felt how excited the whole town is, I think there are around two million people who are usually out watching along the course. It was a bit of that atmosphere that made me really decide to "okay, now I want to run here", says Almgren.

The race in New York is not very fast, with winning times around 2.08 the last two years. The 31-year-old from Sollentuna also likes that.

- This is not a flat mara with hares, where you chase times, but you compete. I think that suits me, says the Swede, earlier this year EC gold medalist in the 10,000 meters and WC gold medalist in the half marathon.

During the upload weeks in Flagstaff, Arizona, training has been carried out on hilly roads, where Almgren has cut many meters of altitude to arrive well prepared for the debut. Almgren has spent the last week in New York, but then it has mostly been about jogging and "finding the flow".

- In the last week, you can only destroy more than you can build up. Then it's just a matter of you feeling fresh on the day of the competition, says Almgren.

Then he takes us on the 42,195 meter course. From the start in the south on Staten Island, to Brooklyn and Queens, then into Manhattan where the runners continue north to the Bronx before it's time to turn back towards the finish line in Central Park.

- There are three bigger slopes, but then there are lots of small slopes all the time, in principle. You never really run flat. And what can happen and which you don't really notice is that the course kills your front thighs quite a lot with downhill runs all the time, says Almgren.

In the end, everything is decided in Central Park.

- You get there when there are around five kilometers to go and then there are a lot of "rolling hills" - up, down, straight up, straight down. There are many who have died there. So when there are five or six kilometers left, you like to feel that you have quite a lot of power left.

Almgren starts at 15.05, while the women's elite sets off half an hour earlier, Swedish time.