RunRace USA › New York › NYC Marathon
The complete, course-first guide
NYC Marathon
Sunday, November 1, 2026 · Wave schedule — see logistics
Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, launching onto the lower and upper decks of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
The race in 60 seconds
First run in 1970, NYC Marathon has had time to become part of the city's running calendar. The marathon is a true point-to-point: its finish sits about 12.6 miles from the start as the crow flies. The modeled line carries about 851 feet of total climb and ranges from roughly 6 to 241 feet above sea level. The elevation profile calls out the Fifth Avenue climb so the defining work is visible before race morning. Look for Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower (One Hanson Place), One Court Square (Citigroup Building), Skyline Tower, Annenberg Building, Mount Sinai in the flyover, with recognizable forms modeled from architectural records.
Fly the course
The whole course, built from the best available published route trace and an extruded model of New York. Scrub it, change the camera, or let it play. Nothing here is a video: it is drawing the city live.
Route statusCurrent community course trace cross-checked against the published route. Run Ready's 2025 certified course trace, 42.36 km
The route line uses the best published course trace available. Public-domain USGS and USDA aerial photography plus USGS 3DEP elevation are baked into RunRace USA, so the flyover makes no paid map API or third-party runtime requests. Buildings, roads, parks and water use OpenStreetMap, ODbL. This is photographic terrain with modeled architecture, not photogrammetry. Bridge approaches, elevations and facade details are approximations; the organizer's published route remains the reference.
The elevation profile
This Marathon profile covers 26.2 miles, ranges from roughly 6 to 241 feet, and contains about 851 feet of modeled climb.
- the Fifth Avenue climb, mile 22.73 to 23.68: 96 feet up, about 100 feet of steady ascent over roughly a mile of Fifth Avenue, from Marcus Garvey Park to the Central Park entrance.
- , mile 6.94 to 8.48: 69 feet up, 0.8% average.
- , mile 9.94 to 10.43: 40 feet up, 1.5% average.
- , mile 25.42 to 25.74: 40 feet up, 2.3% average.
The route at a glance
Gold is the selected modeled course; route provenance is stated beside the flyover.
Race-week weather, measured
At the start line, October 28-November 5 averaged a low of 46°F and a high of 61°F across 2016-2025. The same window reached 80°F at its warmest and 34°F at its coldest. Measurable rain appeared on about 16% of sampled days. Treat the range, not just the average, as the packing list.
Pace it by effort
The profile and grade strip come from the same route currently loaded in the flyover. Use even pace as a baseline, then protect effort on the highlighted climbs and exposed sections.
| Finish | Even pace | Halfway |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 /mi | 1:30 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 /mi | 1:45 |
| 4:00 | 9:09 /mi | 2:00 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 /mi | 2:15 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 /mi | 2:30 |
| Published course limit, 10:30 | 24:02 /mi | 5:15 |
Build your race weekend
The course
Live 3D flyover, synchronized elevation, route map, mile-by-mile shape and local landmarks.
Where to stay
164 mapped places to stay, compared by the endpoint that matters.
Expo and logistics
Packet pickup, the published weekend schedule, transit, parking and current entry tiers.
Spectators
Route-aware viewing anchors and a plan that respects the actual course geography.
The weekend
A city guide built around the places modeled beside the course.
Race listing
Dates, distances and the official registration link.
Common questions
Is the New York City Marathon a lottery, and what are my actual odds?
There is a non-guaranteed general entry drawing, and for 2026 the application window ran February 4 to 25 with the drawing held March 4. NYRR does not run one big pool: it fills the available non-guaranteed spots through three separate drawings, one each for NYC metro applicants (residents within 60 miles of the city), national applicants (U.S. residents outside that radius, including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories), and international applicants. Your odds therefore depend on which pool you sit in rather than on the overall applicant count; The Running Channel puts the general success rate around 3 percent. Current NYRR members who apply to the drawing are also entered automatically into a member-only second-chance drawing on the same day, provided the membership is active as of February 3 and stays active through drawing day.
If I get drawn, when am I charged, and can I change my mind?
This is the trap that catches first-timers who apply casually. Submitting the application authorizes NYRR to charge your card the full non-refundable entry fee the moment your name comes out, with no phone call, email, or confirmation step beforehand. You can withdraw your name from the pool any time before the drawing, but once you are accepted by any method you are in and you have paid. Your card must not expire before March 2026, and if the charge is declined you get until March 10 to fix the card, with NYRR retrying through March 11, after which the entry is forfeited. NYRR recommends warning your bank in advance so the charge does not get flagged as fraud.
Can I just qualify by time the way I would for Boston?
Sort of, but the rules are narrower than most people assume. For the 2027 race the qualifying window is January 1 through December 31, 2026, and net chip time is what counts. Qualifying at an NYRR marathon or half marathon (the United Airlines NYC Half, Maybelline Women's Half, RBC Brooklyn Half, Staten Island Half, or the NYC Marathon itself) earns guaranteed, non-complimentary entry. Qualifying at any non-NYRR race requires a full marathon; half marathon times run outside NYRR races are not accepted at all. Non-NYRR qualifying is also not a guarantee: only a limited number of entries exist, and if applications exceed spots, entry goes to the fastest in each age and gender category, with everyone else dropped into the general drawing.
What are the qualifying standards?
For men, using age as of race day, the marathon standards run 2:53:00 for 18-34, 2:55:00 for 35-39, 2:58:00 for 40-44, 3:05:00 for 45-49, 3:14:00 for 50-54, 3:23:00 for 55-59, and on out to 4:55:00 for 80 and over, with NYRR half marathon equivalents of 1:21:00, 1:23:00, 1:25:00, 1:28:00, 1:32:00 and 1:36:00 for those same brackets. For women and nonbinary athletes the marathon standards are 3:13:00 for 18-34, 3:15:00 for 35-39, 3:26:00 for 40-44, 3:38:00 for 45-49, 3:51:00 for 50-54, and 4:10:00 for 55-59, with half marathon equivalents of 1:32:00, 1:34:00, 1:37:00, 1:42:00, 1:49:00 and 1:54:00. Times must be at or under the standard; there is no rounding in your favor.
What is 9+1, and is it still the reliable back door?
The 9+1 program has historically let NYRR members earn guaranteed non-complimentary entry by completing nine qualifying NYRR races and volunteering at one qualifying event in a calendar year while holding an active membership through December 31. That still holds for anyone completing the program in 2026 to earn a 2027 entry. Starting with the 2027 program, though, access itself becomes a drawing: members must have an active membership by September 16, 2026, enter a free member-only eligibility drawing between September 17 and 29, 2026, and be selected on October 1, 2026, then pay $99.00 to become a 9+1 Passholder before they can even start collecting races toward the 2028 marathon. Treating 9+1 as a guaranteed path you can start whenever you like is now wrong.
How are waves and corrals assigned, and can I move up?
There are five waves, three start villages identified by color (blue, orange and pink), and six corrals per wave. Placement comes from your NYRR Best Pace if you have raced an NYRR event in the last two years (NYRR converts your best race in that window to an equivalent 10K pace), and from the estimated finish time you entered at registration if you have not. Wave and corral assignments cannot be changed at your request. You may voluntarily drop back to a later, slower wave or corral, including to run alongside a friend by both going to the higher corral letter and later wave, but starting in an earlier or faster wave than the one printed on your bib risks disqualification and suspension from future NYRR races.
Can I submit a race result to get a better wave?
Yes, but only through a narrow window that closes long before race week. For 2026 the deadline was September 8, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET, submitted through NYRR's help portal with a link to official online results. Runners already registered could submit only a certified in-person full marathon run between February 26, 2026 and September 7, 2026; half marathons are not accepted for already-registered runners. Newly registering runners without an NYRR Best Pace who expect to run 4:00:00 or faster could submit either a certified marathon or half marathon run between January 1, 2024 and September 7, 2026. Indoor marathons, virtual races, triathlons, shorter distances, training runs and Strava or Garmin files are all rejected. NYRR is explicit that wave changes will not be handled at the Expo and that corral changes are never considered.
How do I get to the start, and can I just show up my own way?
The start is on Staten Island and the finish is in Central Park, so race morning is a commitment of several hours before you run a step. You must pick a mode of transportation (Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal, the Midtown bus from the New York Public Library at 6th Avenue and West 39th Street, or the New Jersey bus from MetLife Stadium Parking Lot K) by the September 8 deadline, and new for 2026 NYRR assigns your departure time based on your registered or best pace rather than letting you pick it. Ferry and Midtown bus trips are budgeted at about 90 minutes end to end, the New Jersey bus at about 60. NYRR recommends the ferry for anyone expecting four hours or more, because it lands you at the start closer to your wave. Taking an option you did not select can trigger a warning or penalty under NYRR's transportation non-compliance policy, and missing the September 8 deadline means being assigned whatever is left at the Expo with no ability to switch.
What if I want a car, taxi or rideshare to the start?
It is allowed but unforgiving. The only private car, taxi and rideshare drop-off is McClean Avenue at Ocean Avenue outside Fort Wadsworth, with private buses dropping at McClean and Lily Pond Avenue, and from either spot it is roughly a half-mile walk to the start villages. There is no parking at the start. The hard constraint is that the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge closes to all traffic at 7:00 a.m., so you have to be there before that regardless of whether your wave starts at 9:10 or 11:30. Vehicles coming from New Jersey via the Staten Island Expressway can use Exit 14 before 7:00 a.m., but after 7:00 a.m. road closures force them to the Clove Road exit.
Can I check a bag at the start and get it at the finish?
No, and this surprises nearly every first-timer. You cannot check a bag at Fort Wadsworth for transport to Central Park. The only bag option is pre-check, selected in your NYRR dashboard by September 8 and dropped off on Central Park West on Friday, October 30 or Saturday, October 31 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., using the official pre-check bag handed out at the Expo. No other bag is accepted. Pre-checked bags are retrieved in the post-finish area until 7:00 p.m., after which unclaimed bags move to the NYRR RUN CENTER for pickup on Marathon Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Note that NYRR's own pages give different cross streets for drop-off and retrieval, so verify the block against your race-week email rather than trusting one page.
Then how do I stay warm before the start and get warm after?
You carry throwaway layers and you rely on the poncho. The only bag permitted inside Fort Wadsworth is the clear official start village bag from the Expo, and everything is subject to inspection. NYRR advises wearing extra layers and discarding them into labeled clothing bins in the villages, which are donated to All of Us and distributed to New Yorkers in need. Every finisher receives a post-race poncho in the post-finish area whether or not they pre-checked a bag, which is why many locals skip pre-check entirely. The villages have 1,600-plus toilets, medical staff, filtered water refill stations for personal bottles, and sponsor amenities including coffee, tea, hot cocoa and bagels while supplies last.
Is there a cutoff, and will I get swept?
There is no single posted hour limit, but there are two real constraints. To keep roads and park drives on schedule, the course stays open to anyone holding a 16-minute-per-mile pace; slower than that and fluid stations and course amenities may be gone, and on city-street sections you may be asked to board a sweep bus or move onto the sidewalk, where NYRR staff and volunteers escort runners to the finish. The second constraint is the clock: official finishers are recorded through 10:00 p.m. ET regardless of what time your wave started, which means the last wave off at 11:30 a.m. has about ten and a half hours. Cross after 10:00 p.m. and you still get a finisher medal, but no official result listing.
What do I lose if I miss the 10:00 p.m. official finish?
More than a line on a results page. Official finishers recorded by 10:00 p.m. get the medal, the official listing at results.nyrr.org, credit toward the 9+1 pathway to guaranteed entry, and a star in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star program, including the Six Star Medal itself if this is the race that completes the set. Runners crossing after 10:00 p.m. receive the medal only. If you are chasing Six Stars and you are in a late wave, the deadline is worth planning around rather than discovering at mile 20.
Where do I meet my family, and why should the plan be made in advance?
Runners exit Central Park at West 77th Street and continue down Central Park West, where they can leave the runners-only area at West 76th, 75th or 69th Street or keep walking south to Family Reunion, which runs from West 63rd to West 66th Street with screening on Columbus Avenue and is open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Meeting points are alphabetical by the first letter of your last name: West 66th for A-E, 65th for F-K, 64th for L-R, 63rd for S-Z. NYRR warns that cellular saturation around the finish may make your phone useless, so agree on a spot beforehand, ideally outside the crowded reunion zone, and tell your people to arrive 20 to 30 minutes after your expected finish because the walk out of the park takes a while. Everyone entering Family Reunion is screened, and strollers, carts and coolers are not allowed in Central Park spectator areas.
Register for the 2026 NYC Marathon →on the official race site
Course geometry provenance is stated beside the player; elevation profiles always use the same route loaded there. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Aerial imagery is from USGS and USDA; other images carry their own source credits. Weather figures use Open-Meteo reanalysis for October 28-November 5 across 2016-2025 at the start line. Schedule, prices and expo hours were checked in 2026-08-26 and are the fields most likely to move: confirm them on www.nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon before you book anything. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.