A Soggy Course Record at the 2026 Army Ten-Miler
More than 19,000 runners finished the 42nd Army Ten-Miler on Sunday, Oct. 11, and nearly all of them did it in the rain. The Capital Weather team had called for a soaker as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias broke apart over the region, and the forecast held. Rain fell for almost the entire race, with waves of heavy downpours soaking runners. While temperatures stayed cool, the air was heavy with humidity.
The conditions didn't slow the front of the field. A 22-year-old broke the women's course record, a 41-year-old matched his own masters record, and the men's winner posted one of the 20 fastest times the race has seen.
A record and a first for the women
Charlotte Richman, 22, of Albany, New York, won the women's race in 53:48. That broke the open record of 54:05, set by SPC Elvin Kibet of San Antonio in 2019. Richman is also the youngest woman ever to take first in the women’s division, according to George Banker.
Elise Faulkner, 29, of Oakdale, New York, took second in 56:42. Georgia Jones, 24, of New Hampshire, finished third in 57:52.
Richman's time is the fastest by a woman since the race returned in person in 2022, when Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson won in 54:16.
Buck wins, and the masters steal the show
Edward Buck, 25, of Newark, Great Britain, won the men's race in 48:40, the 19th-fastest time in the race's history.
The two runners behind him were both over 40. Sam Chelanga, 41, of Niceville, Florida, finished second in 48:44. Chelanga, a former NCAA champion who won here in 2024 and 2025, now owns the two fastest masters (age 40 and older) times ever run on the course. Nicholas Kipruto, 42, of Colorado Springs, took third in 49:34.
By the numbers
Source: ATM Finisher Data
The field has rebuilt steadily since the race returned in person in 2022. Demand has grown faster than turnout, though. About 27,500 people registered in each of the last two years, and roughly 30% didn't finish, most of them never starting.
Finish times. The median runner finished in 1:41:12, close to the 1:40 range of the last few years. The median man ran 1:36:00 and the median woman 1:49:24. About 21% of finishers took longer than two hours.
A younger field. The median finisher was 36, down from 40 in 2022. Runners in their 20s made up 27% of finishers, up from 18%.
Women. Women made up 39% of finishers, in line with the 39 to 41% share every year since 2020.
Familiar faces. About a third of this year's finishers had run at least one earlier edition, and 980 people have finished five or more since 2020.
Adaptive athletes. 132 finishers raced in adaptive and other non-open divisions, nearly double the 68 in 2022.
Where they came from. About 61% of finishers live in DC, Maryland or Virginia, and Virginia alone sent 7,539. Every state was represented, along with 173 runners from 30 other countries, led by Germany and the United Kingdom.
