TCS NYC MARATHON

November 1, 2026

Sheila Chepkirui

Jessica McClain

Hellen Obiri

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are now ready to bring up the podium in the Women's Open Division.

In third place with a time of 2:24:43 from Kenya, Hellen Obiri.

In second place, just one second ahead of her with a time of 2:24:42 from the United States, Jess McClain.

And the first repeat winner of the TCS New York City Marathon since Mary Keitany did it, with a time of 2:24:36, from Kenya, Sheila Chepkirui.

Congratulations to all of you. Sheila, I wanted to start with you. This is a very different race than the one you won last year, which is a course record. This year much more tactical. Do you prefer one over the other, or did you expect this year to go more like last year?

SHEILA CHEPKIRUI: Thank you so much. Last year was a bit different than this year. Last year we really pushed because Sifan Hassan was there, and I knew she was really strong towards the finish. So I had to push last year.

This year was a bit different. I pushed at around six kilometers, and there were so many, so somebody had to make a move and I was that person.

THE MODERATOR: Is there anything that you took away from last year's race that you brought today and learned from to end up back on the top of the podium?

SHEILA CHEPKIRUI: Training was similar from last year and this year. This year I did a lot of gym for strength. Also, I changed the nutrition. Thanks to my team and Adidas.

THE MODERATOR: Jessica McClain, first American woman on the podium since 2018, when Shalane Flanagan did it. You said earlier this year many times it's not about times, it's about podiums and it's about medals. I think a lot of people sitting in third behind Sheila Chepkirui and Hellen Obiri might have said, you know what, I've got the podium, not you. Talk us through those last 400 meters and how you mentally kept your foot on the gas.

JESSICA McCLAIN: It was a journey to get to those last 400 meters. I honestly didn't feel amazing today. I think with New York you just have to take it mile by mile and take what New York throws at you.

Obviously I was in very, very good company, but I was just focused on the last two miles, like working up the hills. I feel like I've done a lot of good hill running this year, really focused on the tangents. I think that helped out in the last few miles.

Gosh, ever since racing the Abbott Dash in 2019 and running up that last 400-meter stretch a few times this week and many weeks before this one, I just visualized that last 400. I was like no matter where I'm at in the race, I'm just going to hammer it home.

Luckily I was well within the goals that I wanted for myself this weekend, but you just never know how it's going to play out. It's not over till it's over.

THE MODERATOR: Hellen, you've had every kind of experience there is to have at the TCS New York City Marathon. Your last mile was a back and forth with Sheila. Tell us how you were feeling and what it was like to see her start to pull away and if you thought you could hang on.

HELLEN OBIRI: First of all, I congratulate the ladies. They did amazing work.

For me, honestly, I give her all my best, and I did everything to run a good race, but it was amazing to me, it was good work to me because I gave everything I had in the tank up to the last minute, up to the finish line. Because my preparation was kind of short, so that's all I can do to take third.

Q. Jess, this is interesting, when you kicked, it looked like you might have taken your sunglasses off and really picked it up. I was wondering what was going on in your head there, and what was really the whole mindset during that last 200 where you'd kind of sense maybe you'd get second?

JESSICA McCLAIN: Gosh, I think I just wanted to see it all. The sunglasses help me out a little bit just because my eyes are a little sensitive, but in the last 400 I was just like I just want to soak this in.

Didn't know I'd feel a little extra good the last 200 meters, but yeah, I just -- I don't know. I think there's just pure magic that you feel coming down that homestretch in New York. I felt pretty rough coming down that stretch two years ago, so I was soaking in feeling a little better than that and pretty strong.

Just tried to soak it in and obviously get the most out of myself in the last like 15 meters.

Q. Then one thing, a lot of times we focus on top American, but you just finished second. How does this make you feel as far as your career and where you're at on the international stage?

JESSICA McCLAIN: I definitely felt -- maybe it was self-inflicted pressure because I had high goals for this weekend. I think I needed to get to the point where I tell myself like, hey, yes, top American is the goal, and that's a great goal, but I want to compete for the podium.

I said, if it's not me, I hoped an American would be on the podium this weekend. I just feel like the American women are running so, so well. It was really cool to see a large contingent of us in that lead pack up until mile 18, 20. Carrie Ellwood was pushing the lead; Amanda Vestri was pushing the lead. It just felt really special.

Obviously I'm very happy, and I'm going to soak this one in for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Four American women in the top 10 for the second consecutive year. A strong performance from the Americans today.

Q. Ladies, congratulations to all three of you, but I would really like to hear how you felt over the last mile in the race? It was so wonderfully close, and it was incredible to watch. Can you tell us, Sheila, how you felt in the last mile?

SHEILA CHEPKIRUI: Thank you so much. The last mile I was with Hellen, and I knew Hellen was really strong, so I had to push up to the finish line.

Q. Jess, you were moving, you were so close, and then all of a sudden you just took off. Was that like automatic pilot, or were you really able to experience it?

JESSICA McCLAIN: Yeah, I think I've done a lot of hard work on the hills this year. My coach David has just like -- we've hammered that home honestly. Any time I get an uphill, I'm like thank God. I feel so good running on hills. Copenhagen kicked my butt like running that fast on flat.

This week in New York I was like, if I can get to the last few miles, get to the park feeling pretty strong, I know I can feel -- I can just channel everything I have on those uphills.

The last mile I felt really, really good. So I tried to just like crank it down, enjoy the moment. Obviously like try to remain competitive, but I just felt so good. I know that's like few and far between in a marathon, so I try to just soak it in.

I just like heard David. It's always like go to the arms. I did that, and I felt great. Yeah, going to soak that in.

Q. Hellen, you've had so many close finishes and they're so exciting. How do you keep yourself focused over that last mile?

HELLEN OBIRI: The last mile was something like so tough because I tried everything I can to push the pace, but it seemed Sheila was so strong, to be honest. She was moving so good, and I was like, oh, my goodness, it seems like she's so good.

So I tried everything I had, and she was also moving so well. I didn't know that she was still coming. I was surprised, like, oh, she's here. So she run a good race in the last 200 meters to go. That was incredible for two ladies to run so well the last mile.

THE MODERATOR: Hellen, when did you realize Jess was behind you? I saw you look back over your shoulder a couple of times. Was it not until you crossed the line?

HELLEN OBIRI: I saw she was behind me like 10 meters to finish line. So I tried to sprint, but she was coming so fast.

Q. Jess, we talked a lot about like the American women. Do you feel like a sense of camaraderie and like you guys were working together at different stages of the race?

JESSICA McCLAIN: I mean, yes, it's so cool to -- in the sense of like communicating and all that, maybe some words are shared. A lot of going into the aid stations, a few of us will communicate to make sure it's as smooth as possible early on in the race.

I think it's more so just like feeling the other American women around you. As I said, the pack was like, it was pretty big. Lauren Hagans was up there, Annie Frisbie, Amanda Vestri, Carrie Ellwood.

Honestly, I wasn't feeling awesome through mile 16. Luckily I've kind of practiced between the ears talking to myself when that's the case, and you just don't know what lies on the other side of that. So I was just trying to get to First Avenue honestly and didn't know how many Americans would be in that lead pack, and there were quite a bit of us.

Maybe in the past I would have been like oh, no, but instead that to me is like so motivating and just awesome. Yeah, rising tide lifts all boats. It was awesome out there.

Q. Can you guys all talk about what shoes you wore today as much as you can?

SHEILA CHEPKIRUI: I used Evo 3.

JESSICA McCLAIN: I ran in some Brooks prototypes.

HELLEN OBIRI: I used the LightSpray.

Q. Jess, amazing day. At the finish we noticed a young man by the name of Connor going absolutely berserk. I think the young man might be your husband. We don't know, we'll fact check on the back side. He kept mentioning she didn't stop and how confident you looked. In the past, you've mentioned how you didn't feel confident in your first New York City Marathon, but now you have a set of goals that you're really trying to attain. Can you take us through any mantras or anything you kept telling yourself over and over for this one to obviously exceed the past and be there to stay top American today?

JESSICA McCLAIN: So my first New York, I was just like honored that Sam and Dorian took a chance on me. I was coming off of being an alternate in Paris. I got a lot to prove, and at the same time, I was coaching myself, I had no idea what I was doing. Then I looked around me at the press conference, and I'm like, I for sure did not coach myself to be able to hang with these amazing women.

It was kind of a moment in my career where I was like, oh, my gosh, am I going to do this pro running thing again at this level? It just felt crazy. It was scary honestly.

Now it's so cool to be here two years later and to be on the line and want to be a part of the race in a big way. I just think my mantras are -- they're fluid, but it's a lot of like lean in and believing I belong here. Yeah, it's not over till it's over. I honestly told myself that a lot today.

Q. Just one question for Jess. As someone that seriously thought about quitting the sport probably more than once, what kind of feeling do you have over these last two years of the incredible success that you've had? What do you say to people that are feeling down and just want to give up?

JESSICA McCLAIN: Oh, man, you're going to make me tear up. Yeah, it was a crappy thing to have to step away honestly, but sometimes it's okay to like take a breather and take a beat. Unfortunately, I was just in a position where my body wasn't working for me. I think it was just a lot of things happening at once in life and coming to a crossroads and realizing like, hey, maybe we need to find something else to pour ourself into and that's okay.

I found my way back very naturally and ended up wanting to run a marathon to celebrate my 30th birthday and realized that competitive nature was still buried deep, deep, deep down. Found my way back into this world in the marathon, and I couldn't be happier to be here and more proud of myself that I put myself back in it.

I think sometimes it's okay to take a step back to realize what you might be missing, take a breather, and realize how much you miss something. It makes the heart grow fonder. It did for me at least.

Yeah, I guess I don't really know the answer to that question. I'm still kind of figuring it out, but very just fortunate to have found my way back and that people gave a chance on me, yeah.

Q. Jess, you mentioned you didn't feel awesome kind of in the middle part of the race. Was there a point where that switch kind of flipped and you were able to kind of find that energy to have the strong finish that you did?

JESSICA McCLAIN: Yeah, with a lot of my longer workouts and longer runs this summer, particularly I just remember feeling a lot better like 14 miles in, 16 miles in. So maybe it's like half gaslighting myself, telling myself that I'll feel okay maybe on the other side of the Queensboro Bridge.

Honestly there were a lot of pace changes. Sometimes my watch went off at 5:15, then we were back at 5:38, and then we were back at -- so I think that was kind of taking a toll on my legs through mile 16. Honestly felt really good going up the hill at Queensboro and felt really good after that.

Then just took it chunk by chunk. First Ave and the Bronx, and soaked in the crowds. Honestly the crowds helped so much after mile 16, 17. Felt life coming back into my legs when we started to pick it up.

Yeah, you just never know. You never know what's on the other side of the tough ones. So you've just got to push through.

THE MODERATOR: We want to congratulate 2024 and 2026 winner Sheila Chepkirui; Jessica McClain, first American on the podium since 2018; and Hellen Obiri in third, but still the course record holder here and last year's champion.

I want to invite again TAG Heuer's Vice President of Marketing Ryan Cooney to the stage for a special presentation to Sheila Chepkirui.