What?
New York Marathon, where Swedish Andreas Almgren makes his marathon debut.
When?
Sunday, November 1. The women's race starts at 2:35 p.m. Swedish time and the men's race starts at 3:05 p.m.
The TV broadcasts
The race is broadcast on both HBO Max and SVT. The former World Cup finalist in the 1,500 meters and also 19-time World Championship gold medalist Kalle Berglund makes his debut as an expert commentator on SVT. He dropped his running commitment in 2024.
Berglund and Almgren are good friends and before the race the expert commentator was able to talk to the Swedish world star in his research work. In addition, Berglund took part in some of Almgren's training sessions ahead of the WC half-marathon in Copenhagen, which Almgren won on 20 September.
- Maybe I have to put the fact that we are such good friends aside a little to be able to be analytical. Critical is perhaps the wrong word, but I will review it in every way that one should do as an objective expert commentator, says 30-year-old Berglund.
The track
The New York Marathon runs through all of the city's five boroughs. The start is on Staten Island, which the runners leave early by running across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn. Already on that bridge comes the course's biggest climb and at the top the runners reach the highest point of the race.
The first half of the race then goes through Brooklyn. When the first half is completed, the runners run across the Pulaski Bridge into Queens.
- The first half always goes a little slower because it is a little tougher. The second half is a little easier if you look at how the race is usually run, says Kalle Berglund.
After a few kilometers of running in Queens, the participants arrive at the course's second highest climb: the Queensboro Bridge. Once completed, the field turns right onto First Avenue in Manhattan with its sights set on The Bronx, where a U-turn takes runners back into Manhattan and into the final mile of the course.
There awaits a climb up Fifth Avenue and a lap around the southern end of Central Park before only the run to the finish line in Central Park remains.
- If you look at the majors - the seven major maras in the world - New York is the slowest in terms of course records. It's because it's quite hilly and you have to cross five bridges that are quite sensitive to wind, says Berglund.
The competitors
Several of the world's best marathon runners are competing in this year's New York Marathon. World number one Sebastian Sawe of Kenya, who set a world record time of 1.59.30 in London in April, will not start, but his compatriot Benson Kipruto, who won last year's race in New York, will.
Among the other top competitors is the Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, who took Olympic silver in 2020 and won in New York in 2024.
Kipruto has best run a marathon in 2.02.16, but that was in Tokyo 2024 and it won't go that fast in New York. His winning time in last year's New York Marathon was 2.08.09.
The track record stands at 2.04.58 and belongs to Ethiopian Tamirat Tola, who set that time in 2023.
- In New York, the focus is above all on location. New York doesn't have hares like the other big maras do. It's a bit more like a championship race, you could say, which will be fun because then there can be a bit of tactics and such, says Berglund.
Interlude
Kalle Berglund was the one who inspired Andreas Almgren to change his training scheme at the end of 2019. He was early in implementing the Norwegian brothers Ingebrigtsen's scheme, which involves more training hours, but with a more controlled level of effort.
These are Almgren's own words from the Sunday interview in P1:
- One of my best friends, Kalle Berglund, thought: "I'm going to try this way of training." Then it took about a year and a half and then he was in the WC final (2019) at 1,500 meters. When he was in the final I was sitting at home on a rehab bike because I had another stress fracture. Then I felt that it is just as well that I also test.
The rest is history.
- It is very honorable that he still mentioned it and said that it was an inspiration, says Kalle Berglund. It's cool to see how he's started with it and then how he's refined it and made it his own thing, with little adjustments to suit him and suit all the different distances he runs. It shows how analytically good he is.
The chances
With Andreas Almgren's recent performances with EC gold in the 10,000 meters during the summer and WC gold in the half marathon in September, there is no doubt that he is in good shape and has a world-class capacity.
Now the question is simply how he manages to handle competing on the double distance for the first time.
- We simply do not know how Andreas will react to running a competitive race in the marathon. It's quite different compared to running a half marathon, so there will be some challenges. It will be important that he can take in energy and drink during the race. Such challenges become a bit of an uncertainty factor, says Berglund and continues:
- When you look at Andrea's history, but also at the starting field and how he has trained, I see very good chances that he will make a good performance and be part of challenging for the victory.
Berglund believes that the course in New York is of the tougher kind and that it is expected to be relatively tactical suits Andreas Almgren.
- I think that none of the other runners want to join Andreas in a riot. They probably want to get rid of Andreas before the riot and for Andreas it's just a matter of trying to hang on. He knows what he can do if he is in the last hundred (meters).
The key
Kalle Berglund has made a marathon attempt himself since he abandoned his athletics venture in 2024. He competed in last year's Stockholm marathon, but never finished.
- I did what Andreas is not supposed to do, says Berglund.
He went into the wall after about 25 kilometers and broke the race after 30.
- I had hubris and went out a little too hard. I think Andreas is a bit cooler than I was and above all much better prepared to stay calm and do a good tactical race.
Have you tipped him off?
- I'll talk to Andreas a little later. Then I'll give him that tip haha. No, considering how I know Andreas, how analytical he is and how he has done his planning, I think he has a full understanding of how he will approach the race.
The future
Andreas Almgren has been open that he plans to continue investing in marathon running even after Sunday's debut in New York. Among other things, Suldan Hassan's Swedish record of 2.05.57 may be within reach.
- I absolutely believe that he will come under the Swedish record sooner or later. It probably won't be on Sunday, but maybe next year or in two years when he runs a faster marathon on a faster course, says Berglund.
In addition, Almgren has said that he may bet against double competitions at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028: 10,000 meters and marathon. Should he finish among the top five in Sunday's race, it means that he is directly qualified for the marathon at the 2028 Olympics.
- I absolutely believe that he - above all at the championships - has really great chances as he benefits from his tactical knowledge and also that he is so fast and good at the half marathon and 10,000 meters. I think he will have great success at the championships, but also that he has good opportunities to run down to two hours and challenge the best in the world, says Kalle Berglund.
