Sri Lankan-born American citizen Chamal Rathnayake completed the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon in four hours and 38 minutes, running under the Sri Lankan flag at an edition marking the 50th anniversary of the race’s five-borough course.
Rathnayake finished the full 42.2km (26.2 miles) on November 1, the Daily Mirror reported on Monday. The course runs from Staten Island through all five New York boroughs to the finish in Central Park, and this year’s field drew more than 60,000 runners from over 100 countries.
It was his first New York City Marathon. He took up running regularly only a couple of years ago and trained for a full year while working full-time in the IT sector.
“Every step of those 26.2 miles was for my motherland. I am grateful to my wife Indu, Asanka De Mel and team Lovi, my family, friends, and everyone who cheered me on,” Rathnayake said.
Sri Lanka in the Parade of Nations
Rathnayake joined the marathon’s Parade of Nations on October 30, two days before the race, alongside athletes from other competing countries. He wore an outfit by the Sri Lankan label Lovi, sponsored by designer Asanka De Mel.
A second Sri Lankan runner, Chamal Mediwaka, also competed in Lovi attire and carried the Sri Lankan national flag as flag bearer in the parade.
Rathnayake said he hopes to enter more international running events.
Not reported
The filing does not give Rathnayake’s age, his overall or age-group placing, Mediwaka’s finishing time, or the total number of Sri Lankan entrants. It does not say whether the two ran as part of an organised Sri Lankan team or entered individually.
The Daily Mirror carries the item without a reporter’s byline, and the account — including the sponsorship details — comes from that filing. No other verified newsroom was found reporting the Sri Lankan runners’ participation, so it is reported here from the single source.
