Everything You Need to Know About the New York City Marathon

It’s finally that time of year when you realize a lot of your friends have made running long distances their entire personality. We say this with love—the New York City Marathon is a special day in the Big Apple. This year, for its 54th anniversary, the legendary 26.2-mile race will be held on Sunday, November 3.

Over several hours—with the fastest record set last year by Tamirat Tola at two hours, four minutes, and 58 seconds—participants will traverse across all five boroughs to reach the finish line, while fans cheer from the sidewalks and local bars sporting cowbells, whistles, and witty signs. The event bonds the city, whether it's to cheer on the top contenders or bolster the spirits of those bringing up the back.

Whether you’re racing in the marathon yourself or applauding from the sidelines, we’ve answered some of the most asked questions about the event. Here’s everything you need to know about the TCS New York City Marathon 2024.

The 2024 TCS New York City Marathon is being held on Sunday, November 3.
Based on projected finish time or pace-per-mile, non-professional runners are assigned to one of five waves from 9:10 to 11:30 am.

The professional wheelchair division begins at 8 am. The handcycle category and select athletes with disabilities begin at 8:22 am. The professional women’s open division takes off at 8:35 am. Followed by the professional men’s division at 9:05 am.

Part of what people love so much about the NYC Marathon is that it takes participants through all five boroughs.

Starting in Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, runners cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to enter Brooklyn. The course then passes through many Brooklyn neighborhoods including Bay Ridge, Park Slope, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. To access the Queens portion of the journey, contestants go across the Pulaski Bridge. This marks the halfway mark of the rice: mile 13.1. Next up the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. From East 60th the runners go all the way uptown to The Bronx and circle back down to Manhattan. Then, it’s down through Central Park to the finish line at West 67th Street.

If you can’t make it in person, the marathon will be broadcast live on WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 8 am to 1 pm. It will also be streaming on the ABC App and ABC7NY.com from 7 am to 1 pm.

If you want to be right in the action, cheering in person is the way to go. There’s grandstand seating along the final finish line stretch, as well as a standing spectator area in Central Park near the end.

That being said, New Yorkers are known to just pull up to bars, restaurants, and parks along the route to cheer on runners. Popular spots fill up quickly, but the energy is electric.

It all depends on how you train! But the race does have the most elevation change of any of the six World Marathon Majors.

The average finish time for the New York City Marathon varies every year based on weather, gender, and age, but last year’s average was four hours, 39 minutes, and 47 seconds.

There are a few ways to qualify for the NYC marathon. First is through the 9+1 program, where a hopeful participant must run nine half-marathons and volunteer at a charity event in one year. In this case, the runner must also be an active New York Road Runners member.

Second, you can qualify based on your times. These times vary based on your gender and age group. For example, men’s qualifying times for ages 18–34 is two hours and 53 minutes, while women’s qualifying times for that same age group is three hours and 13 minutes.

Third, you can enter the lottery system. The application period is usually sometime between February and March. Once entered, it’s just a waiting and wishing game. Every two months, the NYRR holds random drawings from pools of local, national, and international applicants. That being said, only 10% or lower of runners are selected via this option.

Finally, runners can skip all the hoops if they so choose and simply complete the full 26.2 mile distance in a single run and upload it to Strava on a different day. Think, marathon without the madness.

Yes! Track your brave friends and family through the TCS New York City Marathon app, which allows you to follow runners in real time using their bib numbers. The resource also supplies live-course cameras and expert commentary.

The New York Road Runners website offers live unofficial results throughout the race as well from leaderboards and map tracking. After the race is completed, the website will publish race results for all finishers.

Here’s the thing: Running a marathon is no easy feat. According to many experts including Runner’s World, “it takes between 12 and 20 weeks to train for a marathon, but most plans are 16 to 20 weeks.” This goes for any level of experience.

Yes, some people walk the entire marathon! To complete it in the best time possible, aim for 14- or 15-minute miles.

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