TCS New York City Marathon
New York, United States · November · World Marathon Majors
Why people love it
- About 1 million spectators line the 42.2 km (26.2 mi) route, loudest on First Avenue.
- Crosses five boroughs and finishes in Central Park.
- Starts on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, with a Brooklyn descent into the crowds.
- Finisher poncho, medal and large expo are consistently praised.
- About 59,000 finishers in 2025, the largest marathon in the world.
Watch out for
- Start day runs 5 to 7 hours: buses from about 5:00 am, then 1 to 3 hours waiting outdoors.
- The Queensboro Bridge near 24 km (15 mi) has no spectators; Fifth Avenue near 37 km (23 mi) hurts.
- Lottery odds are about 1 percent, and Manhattan hotels cost a lot that weekend.
- Leaving Central Park after the finish adds at least 1.6 km (1 mi) of walking.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Very tough
- Racer satisfactionBucket list4.6
RaceRaves averages 4.6 of 5 from 152 ratings and MarathonGuide 4.8 from 5. Near-universal praise for the atmosphere; gripes are about logistics and difficulty. · High confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.1
Large expo, about 1,700 toilets at the start villages and good volunteers. Against that: bus chaos, a slow park exit and some cup shortages. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.3
Crowds carry you and results run until 10 pm, but the climbing is deceptive and start waits run 1 to 3 hours. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialSlow2.4
Bridges, rolling terrain and a late Fifth Avenue climb mean it is rarely run for fast times. Net drop is only 27 m (88 ft). · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course scenerySpectacular4.5
Five boroughs, the Verrazzano start, Brooklyn streets, the Manhattan skyline and a Central Park finish. RaceRaves scenery is 4.3 of 5. · High confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points2.6
About 59,000 finishers. Reviewers report elbowing, a bottleneck leaving Staten Island and a Brooklyn stretch squeezed to about 3 m (10 ft). · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceMixed3.3
No reviewer comments on surface. Bridge decks and city streets are typical urban asphalt of mixed quality. · Low confidence
- Road closuresFully closed4.8
A closed route across five boroughs; the Verrazzano Bridge shuts to traffic at 7 am, hours before the last wave crosses. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling3.0
Sources give 250 to 290 m (820 to 950 ft) of gain, which is rolling. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.2
Point to point with a small net loss of about 27 m (88 ft), mostly the Verrazzano descent. Qualifies for Boston as a normal course. · Low confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting2.6
Buses leave Midtown from about 5:00 am. Waits of 1 to 3 hours were reported, and up to 5 hours door to door. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood3.7
Accurate chip timing and a tracker app exist, though the tracker estimates position from time. Pace groups were not confirmed. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportElectric4.9
About 1 million spectators and nonstop noise through five boroughs. First Avenue is the loudest stretch. · High confidence
- Aid stationsGood4.2
Frequent water and sports drink stations, gels and medical staff. Occasional shortages: missing cups, and bananas at only one station near 34 km (21 mi). · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindSome wind3.3
The Verrazzano start is exposed to Atlantic wind per course guides; buildings shelter most of the rest. · Low confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant4.2
Typical start 7 °C (45 °F), finish 13 °C (56 °F), but 2022 began at 19 °C (66 °F) and reached 24 °C (75 °F). · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityReliable3.6
Most years start at 7 to 13 °C (45 to 55 °F). Warm 2022 and 2023 and a rainy 2019 show some variability. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints3.4
Many viewing points in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but the subway is overwhelmed, crossing the course is slow and cell service fails near the finish. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level5.0
Sea level, roughly 0 to 30 m (0 to 100 ft). · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.8
A huge supply, but guides say to book Midtown 6 months ahead for race weekend. · Medium confidence
- Hotel valuePricey1.8
Manhattan hotels on marathon weekend are among the priciest of any marathon. Staying outside Manhattan saves money. · Medium confidence
- WalkabilitySome driving3.0
The start is on Staten Island by bus or ferry; the finish is a 1.6 km (1 mi) or longer walk out of Central Park. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeVery easy4.8
Three major airports, plus Amtrak and commuter rail. · High confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity3.3
Bib pickup needs a booked slot at the Javits Center. There is no race-day pickup, and no bag check at the start. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGreat4.9
New York City food and culture, plus a post-race finisher's festival at Columbus Circle. · High confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inQualifier or lottery1.2
More than 240,000 applied for 2026 and about 1 percent got in by lottery. Qualifier, charity and 9+1 routes exist but are hard. · High confidence
- Value for moneyFair3.0
Fee not confirmed. Medal, poncho and finish bag are praised, but merchandise is called pricey and hotels add heavily to the cost. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- New York, Staten Island to Central Park (five boroughs), United States
- Typical month
- November
- Latest or next date
- 1 November 2026
- Organiser
- World Marathon Majors
- Field size
- About 59,200 athletes
- First held
- 1970
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- point-to-point
- Climbing
- 250 m (820 ft)
- Start time
- 09:10
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Road, bridge decks
- How to get in
- lottery
- Sells out
- Yes
- Air temperature
- 7–13 °C (45–55 °F)
- Humidity
- moderate; warm and humid in 2022
- Altitude
- 10 m (33 ft)
- Nearest airport
- JFK, LaGuardia and Newark
- Where to stay
- Midtown, Upper West Side near Central Park, Brooklyn
- Booking
- Book Midtown hotels at least 6 months ahead; Brooklyn or New Jersey saves money.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRavesRaced 2023-2026 · aggregator · Positive
Rated 4.6 of 5 from 152 ratings. Runners praise nonstop crowds, a big expo and the Central Park finish. Complaints are early buses and ferries, crowding after Staten Island, a long walk out of the park and few toilets after the finish.
“Unbelievable crowds that cheer you up during the entire race.”
- MarathonGuideRaced 2022-2025 · aggregator · Positive
Rated 4.8 of 5 from 5 reviews. A first-time marathoner credits organization, spectators and sunny weather. The 2022 reviewer praised crowds and markings but noted record heat and humidity, cup shortages at three water stations and pre-race transport issues.
- Marathon HandbookRaced 2026 · article · Mixed
Calls First Avenue the loudest crowd, says the course is rarely run for fast times and that the Fifth Avenue climb at miles 23 to 24 (km 37 to 39) is the hardest part. Notes about 1 percent lottery odds, 59,226 finishers in 2025 and sweep buses at about 16 minutes per mile.
“New York is rarely run for fast times.”
- Fleet FeetRaced 2024 · article · Mixed
Detailed weekend guide: slot-booked bib pickup at Javits, bus or ferry choice, buses dropping runners past the start, waits of about 1.5 hours in 2022 falling to 30 minutes in 2023, about 1,700 toilets across the villages, about 305 m (1,000 ft) of gain, and a finish exit adding at least 1.6 km (1 mi).
- Marathon Training AcademyRaced 2018 · blog · Positive
First-time runner's report: large expo, nearly two hours on a charity bus to Staten Island, Queensboro harder than expected, Manhattan a slog from mile 16 (km 26), crowded course but encouraging spectators, and a well run poncho handout.
“The pain really IS temporary. But the victory is forever!”
Show 4 more
- Team RunRun (Rohit Eipe)Raced 2025 · blog · Mixed
Got in through the second-chance lottery and finished in 5:06:15 starting around 11:38 am in a warm afternoon. Found the course deceptively hard, crowds loud, Brooklyn barriers ignored so the route narrowed, some aid stations backed up and bananas only at one station.
“The course is brutally hard, and deceptively so.”
- The 5K RunnerRaced 2025 · article · neutral
Planning guide: ferries and buses from about 5:00 am, three start villages, bag drop at Central Park before race day, about 247 m (810 ft) of gain, and a long Queensboro climb with no spectators. Warns the race punishes improvisation.
“New York is not a race that rewards improvisation.”
- RunnersConnectRaced 2026 · article · neutral
Course-profile guide: net drop of about 27 m (88 ft), biggest climbs at Queensboro (mile 15, km (9.3 mi) 24) and Fifth Avenue (mile 23, km (14.3 mi) 37). Start temperatures 6 to 19 °C (44 to 66 °F) over five recent years, warmer in 2022 and 2023.
- Business Insider (via search summary)Raced 2019 · article · Positive
Search summary only (page did not load): a first-timer's 2019 account of a Verrazzano Bridge closing to traffic at 7 am and about 1 million spectators with 53,000 runners.
Raced TCS New York City Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
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