Fifty years ago, the New York City Marathon left Central Park for the first time and ran through all five boroughs. On Sunday, the anniversary edition, it set a new world record for participation with 61,146 finishers. It was a popular celebration, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, wearing a yellow vest, volunteering to hand out water to the runners.
For the record, Yeman Crippa finished second among the Italians. Many familiar faces were at the start, including Ambrosini and Oddo, Linus and Dumoulin. Among the crowd was also a small group of Sardinians.

The fastest was Antonio Serreli, 46, from Sinnai, representing Atletica Maracalagonis , in his third major of 2026 after London and Berlin. He finished in 3:20:47, 4.824th overall and 170th among the 2,360 Italians.

Close behind is Gianluca Biolla , 55, from Terralba, running his 52nd marathon. He finished in 3:29:03, 6,952nd overall and 236th out of 2,107 in the 55-59 age group. Adjusted for age, his time is the best Sardinian performance.

The Podistica Amatori Olbia team was strong. Tito Magliocchetti , 53, dipped under four hours with a time of 3:59:07. Agostino Casula finished second in 4:16:36 and Claudio Zicconi in 4:17:56. Giuseppina Farina , 63, put in an excellent performance in 4:29:01. Valentina Mette , making her debut in the 42 km, finished in 4:36:11, and Gesuino Ghiani in 4:39:20.

At his fourth marathon, Alessandro Scano , 53, from Decimoputzu, representing GS Runners Cagliari, finished in 4:03:04: "42 kilometers and only one certainty: the head is always stronger than the legs." On Saturday, the day before the race, he met Linus in Central Park, who was celebrating his birthday: "He told me that New York is not a race for time: it is an icon, a journey to be experienced from the first to the last meter." For Scano, the real victory was being there, "among the legendary bridges and a unique crowd in the world." And after the finish line, the magic continues: "You walk around with the medal around your neck and New Yorkers stop to say 'Congratulations!'." Thanks go to the family, to the friends of Decimoputzu, to the RunChallenge Cagliari Poetto and to his coach.

The most beautiful photograph came at the end of the day. Francesca Serrau and Luca Monteleone , a 39-year-old husband and wife, he wearing the red and blue jersey, crossed the finish line within a second of each other: she in 6:28:53, he in 6:28:54. Then came the embrace with their son.

Sardinia's majors don't stop there. In October, in Chicago, Agostino Serra , Serreli's teammate at Atletica Maracalagonis, finished in 3:39:45: his fourth major title after New York 2025, London, and Berlin.

And the story doesn't end there. Those who ran in New York can continue to send their medal-winning photos on L'Unione Sarda's social media channels and on WhatsApp at 335 154 6482.

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