WOLFLAB Italiano

New York 2026: the Almgren, Crippa and Mofolo build-ups compared, what is documented

Races6 min read
On this page
  1. In short
  2. The podium
  3. Yeman Crippa: the Paris plan, brought to New York
  4. Andreas Almgren: summary and pointer
  5. Kamohelo Mofolo: what is documented (and what is not)
  6. The comparison that holds up
  7. Limitations
  8. Sources

The podium

On 1 November 2026 Andreas Almgren (Sweden, 31) won on his debut at the distance in 2:06:01, pulling away from Yeman Crippa (Italy, 30) in the closing stages: second in 2:06:14, the best Italian men's placing in New York since 1996. Third was Kamohelo Mofolo (Lesotho, 21) in 2:06:26, ahead of defending champion Benson Kipruto.1 The race report and the Almgren profile have their own pages: here we compare the three build-ups, limited to what is documented.

Yeman Crippa: the Paris plan, brought to New York

Crippa's build-up is the most extensively covered in Italian, by a Runner's World Italia article of 22 October and a Gazzetta dello Sport interview of 29 October.23

  • Volume and structure. "I replicated the Paris one, with 180-200 kilometres per week on average and a peak of 224 between August and September, in the last camp in Kenya, before the World road running Championships in Copenhagen. The final part, though, this time I did at home", in Trentino.3 Often two sessions a day: the main one in the morning, about ten easy kilometres around 4:00/km in the afternoon.2
  • Sessions he shared. Six 4,000 m repetitions with 2:30 standing recovery, 24.35 km in total at a 2:57/km average; fifteen 1,000 m repetitions with 90 seconds of recovery; long runs up to 40 km; sessions over 27 km at a 3:03/km average; controlled work of about 20 km at 4:04/km.2
  • Periodisation. Fourth place in the 10,000 m at the European Championships was a deliberate choice, to respect the periodisation between the two marathons.3
  • Recovery. Regular schedule: in bed around 11 pm, up around 7 am, a rest after lunch before the second run when the program allows.2
  • Fueling. In Paris 80 g of carbohydrate per hour in the race; for New York he said he could reach 90: "the stomach, in this sense, works like a muscle. More than the amount, what matters is how you tolerate it".3
  • The race. According to FIDAL he ran "substantially the pace of the Paris marathon": halfway in 1:04:04 and the second half in 1:02:10, for the final 2:06:14; he was dropped only in the last 400 metres.7
  • Final block. Arrived in New York on Friday 24 October with coach Massimo Pegoretti and physiotherapist Lorenzo Pilati; he ran the last 7 km of the course twice, expecting the race to be decided there.3

A note on sources: the Runner's World Italia article includes references to Crippa's brand partner Amazfit (the Cheetah 2 Pro watch on his wrist); the sections on volumes and sessions are presented as shared by the athlete. A SportMediaset piece on the same topic is Amazfit-branded content, and we did not use it as an independent source.

Andreas Almgren: summary and pointer

Almgren's block is documented in detail in the dedicated profile: volume raised to a peak of about 235 km per week, double threshold adapted to the marathon, "hard" long runs up to 46 km, the final five weeks at altitude in Flagstaff, fueling measured on long runs with a declared target of about 120 g/hour. Much of this information comes from interviews and sponsor pages: the profile separates them one by one.4

Kamohelo Mofolo: what is documented (and what is not)

Documented, by World Athletics and the Lesotho press:56

  • born on 1 January 2005: he was 21 in New York;
  • 2:08:50 at the Cape Town Marathon on 24 May 2026, the second-fastest Lesotho performance ever according to the Lesotho Tribune;
  • national records on the road (27:47 over 10 km in Durban, July 2025) and on the track (28:01.00 over 10,000 m, July 2026); a 1:00:52 half marathon;
  • according to the Lesotho Tribune he is coached by James McKirdy.

Not documented: weekly volumes, typical sessions, intensity distribution, nutrition. As of 2 November 2026 we found no technical interviews or public training data. Some race previews published in the autumn carried information incompatible with the Cape Town result (no marathon ever run, or the race cancelled): we flag them as discordant and rely only on World Athletics and the Tribune, without merging the versions.

The comparison that holds up

  • Age and career stage. 31, 30 and 21: three different phases, with Mofolo on a major marathon podium before turning 22.
  • Pathways. Almgren and Crippa come from top-level European track (records and titles over 10,000 m) converted to the marathon; Mofolo from the South African circuit, with a very early move to the roads.
  • Declared volumes. Almgren up to about 235 km per week, Crippa 180-200 with a peak of 224: the same order of magnitude, different tools (adapted double threshold for the former; long repetition sessions and classic doubles for the latter). No data for Mofolo.
  • Fueling. The first two both built carbohydrate intake in training (declared targets of about 120 g/hour and 80-90 g/hour). These are elite athletes' numbers from individual measurement: not doses for the reader.

What does not hold up: a comparison of the "Mofolo method". You cannot compare what is not documented.

Limitations

  • The information on Crippa is the athlete's own statements gathered by the press before the race, not independent verification; the Runner's World Italia page contains references to his technical sponsor.
  • For Almgren most sources are sponsors or interviews: see the profile for the case-by-case distinction.4
  • For Mofolo the gap is stated: results yes, method no.
  • Comparing three elite build-ups does not produce a model for amateurs: this page describes, it does not prescribe.

Sources

  1. World Athletics, "Almgren wins on marathon debut, Chepkirui regains title in New York", 1 November 2026. worldathletics.org. Read on 1 November 2026.
  2. Runner's World Italia, "Yeman Crippa verso New York: i suoi allenamenti per la maratona" (in Italian), 22 October 2026. runnersworld.com. Read on 2 November 2026.
  3. Gazzetta dello Sport, "Crippa a New York per la maratona: 'Mi gioco tutto nel finale. Sono qui per vincere'" (in Italian), 29 October 2026. gazzetta.it. Read on 2 November 2026.
  4. WOLFLAB, "Andreas Almgren: the training, nutrition and supplements behind the New York win", 1 November 2026. wolflabsystem.com.
  5. World Athletics, Kamohelo Mofolo profile. worldathletics.org. Read on 2 November 2026.
  6. Lesotho Tribune, "At just 20, Mofolo produces world-class marathon performance in Cape Town", May 2026. lesothotribune.co.ls. Read on 2 November 2026.
  7. FIDAL, "Super Crippa, secondo a New York!" (in Italian), 1 November 2026. fidal.it. Read on 2 November 2026.

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