The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon takes place Sunday, Nov. 1, with the first starts at 8 a.m. ET. The race marks 50 years of the five-borough course, and over 60,000 runners are expected. It includes a course change for the first time in 15 years.
The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, and celebrates its 50th anniversary. Over 60,000 runners are expected to run through all five NYC boroughs. The 2026 race includes a course change for the first time in 15 years.
Start times
Staggered start times begin at 8 a.m. ET, with the Men's Wheelchair Division going first. Professional women are scheduled to start at 8:35 a.m. and professional men at 9:05 a.m., with general-entry runners beginning in waves afterward. Wave 1 starts at 9:10 a.m. ET, Wave 2 at 9:45 a.m., Wave 3 at 10:20 a.m., Wave 4 at 10:55 a.m. and Wave 5 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The finish line in Central Park closes at 10 p.m., and NYRR records official finishers through 10:00 p.m. ET.
The course and the anniversary
The 26.2-mile race starts on Staten Island and finishes in Manhattan's Central Park. Along the way it runs through Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The 1976 race, run on Oct. 24, was the first to include all five boroughs, and New York Road Runners is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the route.
Watching and following
The race is broadcast on ABC7NY locally and ESPN nationally, and can be livestreamed on ESPN Unlimited. WABC-TV Channel 7 will air pre-race coverage from 7:00 a.m. ET and live race coverage from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. ET. Runners can be tracked in real time with the free New York Road Runners app, and live results are on the NYRR website. Most of the course is open to spectators from Mile 3 to Mile 26, and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and East Harlem are among the better viewing spots, according to the official marathon website.
Runners to watch and conditions
Hellen Obiri, a two-time champion, returns to defend her title after breaking the women's course record last year in 2:19:51. Susannah Scaroni, the two-time defending wheelchair champion, seeks a third straight title nearly three months after giving birth to her first child. Celebrity participants include Jennifer Connelly, Patina Miller, Dylan Efron and Tiki Barber, among others. The forecast called for sunny, dry weather with highs around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperatures in the mid-40s at the Staten Island start for the early runners.
