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Hey runners, in today’s newsletter, New York is just days away and the generosity is off the charts.
NYRR runners have raised more than $100 million for charity before the gun has even gone off, $20 million more than last year. Among the 50,000 starting on Sunday is 83-year-old Dave Obelkevich, the only person to have finished all 48 five-borough editions, going for number 49 with his daughter beside him.
Elsewhere, both Kenya and India are moving to criminalize the supply of doping drugs to athletes, with prison terms on the table in each.
And as always, we round things out with the practical stuff: how jeffing can actually make you faster, a complete guide to beating chafing, and 10 hill repeat workouts to build speed.
On Sunday morning, we’re streaming a live watch-along show from the Tracksmith Trackhouse in Brooklyn. It starts at 8:00 a.m. ET, ahead of the professional women’s start at 8:35 a.m. and the men’s at 9:05 a.m. Katelyn Tocci, Michael Doyle and Alex Cyr will follow both races to Central Park with live updates and analysis, and Jessy Carveth will report from the finish line. Think of it as a second-screen experience to pair with the race's live TV broadcast, designed for the true running nerd!
Hellen Obiri returns to defend her course record, Benson Kipruto defends a title he won by three hundredths of a second, and Conner Mantz leads the strongest American field in years.
Set a reminder now and we’ll let you know the moment we go live:
The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon is this Sunday, November 1, and Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth preview the men’s and women’s elite races in this bonus episode of The Running Story.
Molly Markhoff, 25, posted a job on Airtasker for 20 people to make signs and cheer her through Sunday's race, a squad that would cost $2,400 if every place is filled.
The Athletics Integrity Unit added four years for tampering after concluding that the clinic records he sent to explain the positive were forged or manipulated.
Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya says the bill, with prison terms of up to five years, goes to Parliament's Winter Session. By April, India had more athletes on the AIU's sanctions list than Kenya.
Jakob Larsen, who led world championships in Aarhus and the first Ultimate Championship in Budapest, takes charge of a remit that runs from 320-plus label races to a treadmill world title.
New York Road Runners passed its fundraising target on Wednesday, four days before the Nov. 1 race, with a record 670-plus charity partners and a total at least $20 million above last year's.
The 35-year-old Kenyan soldier has won Nagoya twice and never finished outside the top six in eight marathons, and she was third on this course a year ago.
Dave Obelkevich has finished all 48 New York City Marathons run through the five boroughs since 1976. On Sunday, with his daughter beside him, he goes for 49.
A bill now in front of the National Assembly would set minimum fines of 5 million shillings ($38,500) or five years in prison, and is going through public hearings in the week after Peres Jepchirchir's provisional suspension.
Reigning world marathon champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after an out-of-competition test came back positive for EPO, six weeks before her Sydney Marathon win. On this episode of The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth break down what the doping case means for her titles, for Sydney and for trust in elite marathoning.
