Samuel and Rudel win New York’s Abbott Dash 5K ahead of marathon weekend

Eritrea’s Habtom Samuel and American Rachael Rudel won the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K in Central Park, New York, on Saturday, 31 October. The 5km race is the traditional curtain-raiser for New York City Marathon weekend, and more than 11,500 runners took part, finishing at the same line the marathon uses.

Samuel, 22, won the men’s race in 13 minutes 31 seconds. He led for much of the race and pulled away from Kenyan Olympian Edwin Kurgat over the final kilometre, winning by seven seconds. Kurgat finished second in 13:38, and last year’s winner, Amon Kemboi, was third in 13:40. Samuel, a five-time NCAA champion at the University of New Mexico, is unbeaten in his first season as a professional and won the Houston Half Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race earlier this year.

Rudel, 32, won the women’s race in 15:35, pulling clear of Josette Andrews over the final 400 metres. Andrews finished second in 15:41. Rudel, the newly crowned US 20km champion, also won the Boston 10K for Women earlier this year. Both winners were racing the event for the first time.

Why it matters

The Dash is the warm-up act for one of the world’s biggest marathons, and both winners arrive in strong form. Samuel’s unbeaten first year as a professional marks him out as one of distance running’s rising stars, while Rudel’s win at 32 shows how quickly she has broken through on the roads after winning her first national title this year.

What happens next

The TCS New York City Marathon is due to take place on Sunday, 1 November, marking 50 years of the five-borough course. Defending champions Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri are both due to return, with Obiri chasing a second straight win after setting a course record last year.

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Sources

• http://www.nyrr.org/media-center/news/2026/10/31/habtom-samuel-and-rachael-rudel-win-new-york-road-runners-abbott-dash-to-the-finish-line-5k-ahead-of-tcs-new-york-city-marathon (New York Road Runners, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.runningusa.org/industry-news/habtom-samuel-and-rachael-rudel-win-new-york-road-runners-abbott-dash-to-the-finish-line-5k-ahead-of-tcs-new-york-city-marathon/ (Running USA, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.letsrun.com/news/2026/10/habtom-samuel-rachael-rudel-win-2026-abbott-dash-to-the-finish-5k-titles/ (LetsRun.com, 31 October 2026)