NYC Marathon route and course map
The NYC Marathon runs 26.2 miles through the five boroughs: from Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, through Brooklyn and Queens, over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, through the Bronx, and down Fifth Avenue to the finish at 67th Street in Central Park. It drops about 5 m net; the effort is in the five bridges.
TCS New York City Marathon
New York, NY
Race day
Sunday, November 7, 2027
56weeks to go · 392 days
- Distance
- Marathon
- Net drop
- 5m16 ft
Verified Oct 11, 2026 from nyrr.org
The NYC Marathon course, section by section
Mile references are NYRR's own, from its race-day viewing guide and the 2026 course page. The Bronx section changed in 2026.
| Miles | Where |
|---|---|
| Start | Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island |
| 0 to 2 | Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge |
| 2 to 4 | Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn |
| 8 | Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue |
| 10 to 13 | Williamsburg and Greenpoint |
| 13.1 | Pulaski Bridge into Queens |
| 13 to 16 | Long Island City, then the Queensboro Bridge |
| 16 to 18 | First Avenue, Manhattan |
| 18 to 20 | East Harlem |
| 20 to 23 | The Bronx |
| 23 to 24 | Fifth Avenue, East 90th to 105th Street |
| Finish | 67th Street on West Drive, Central Park |
Source: NYRR, The Course and Watch the Race pages, and the 2026 course map. Checked 11 October 2026.
Start times and waves
These are the 2026 start times. NYRR says start times are subject to change, and the 2027 schedule is not published yet. There are five waves, three start colours (blue, orange and pink) and six corrals in each wave.
| Start |
|---|
| Men's professional wheelchair |
| Women's professional wheelchair |
| Handcycles and select athletes with disabilities |
| Professional women |
| Professional men |
| Wave 1 |
| Wave 2 |
| Wave 3 |
| Wave 4 |
| Wave 5 |
Source: NYRR, The Start. Checked 11 October 2026.
Elevation: what the numbers say
NYRR does not publish a total-climb figure on its course page. The number that does exist is on the USA Track and Field certificate for the course: certificate NY22001JHP lists a drop of 0.12 m per km, which over 42.195 km works out to about 5 m lower at the finish than at the start. That is close to dead level for a marathon. For comparison, Boston's certificate works out to roughly 139 m of net drop.
Two caveats. That certificate covers the 2022 course, and NYRR changed the Bronx section for 2026, the first change to the course in 15 years. As of 10 October 2026 we found no 2026 certificate in the USATF database. If you are counting on a New York time to qualify for Boston, check the certificate status after race day; our Boston qualifying times page lists what the B.A.A. accepts.
What New York does have is bridges, five of them: the Verrazzano-Narrows, the Pulaski, the Queensboro, the Willis Avenue and the Madison Avenue. Each one is a rise and a fall, and spectators are not allowed on any of them, so they are also the quietest parts of the race.
How to pace the NYC Marathon
This section is Runsy's advice, not NYRR guidance. It is how we would race this course from the facts above.
- Miles 0 to 2: start slower than goal pace. The Verrazzano is the first thing you run, it has no crowd, and you start packed into a corral. Seconds banked here cost minutes after mile 20.
- Miles 2 to 13: settle into goal pace on Fourth Avenue. It is long and straight. Use it to find your rhythm, not to make up for the bridge.
- Every bridge: hold effort, not pace. Let the split slow on the way up and do not chase it back on the way down. Four of the five bridges come at or after halfway, and that is where races here come apart.
- Mile 16: do not surge onto First Avenue. You come off the Queensboro, where spectators are not allowed, onto First Avenue, where NYRR says spectators line the sidewalks. The pull to speed up is strong; your goal pace has not changed.
- Miles 20 to 24 are the hardest stretch, in our read. Two bridges in and out of the Bronx, then Fifth Avenue before you reach the park. If you have anything left, spend it after mile 24.
- Fuel on your own schedule. NYRR has gels at miles 12 and 18 only and says to carry your own. Practise your fuel in long runs; a 16-week plan gives you about a dozen chances.
To turn a goal time into per-mile and per-km splits, use the marathon pace chart, or estimate a realistic goal from a recent race with the race time predictor.
Training for New York in 2027?
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Fluids, fuel and the cut-off
From NYRR's 2026 course page:
- Fluids: water and Gatorade at official stations every mile from mile 3 to mile 25, except miles 5, 7 and 9.
- Gels: Maurten gel depots at miles 12 and 18. Bananas at mile 21.
- Markers and clocks: mile markers every mile, kilometre signs every 5 km. Course clocks run on wave 1 time, so in later waves they will not match your own elapsed time.
- Cut-off: the on-street schedule is built around a 16-minute mile from the wave 5 start. Slower than that, fluid stations may be gone and you may be moved to the sidewalk. Runners who finish by 10:00 p.m. ET are official finishers.
Getting into the race is its own project: see the NYC Marathon drawing and the NYC qualifying times, converted to pace.
Train for this course, not a generic one
Knowing the course is the easy part. Runsy builds the marathon block for your race date and adapts it around the weeks life interrupts. $12.99/mo after a 7-day free trial. iPhone only.
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Fair questions
What is the hardest part of the NYC Marathon?
In our read, miles 20 to 24. You cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx and the Madison Avenue Bridge back out, then run Fifth Avenue between East 105th and East 90th Street before entering Central Park. Spectators are not allowed on any bridge, so the climbs are also the quietest stretches. This is Runsy's assessment, not NYRR's.
Is the NYC Marathon course hilly?
Not in net terms. The USATF certificate for the course (NY22001JHP, the 2022 route) lists a drop of 0.12 m per km, about 5 m over the full distance. The effort comes from five bridges: Verrazzano-Narrows, Pulaski, Queensboro, Willis Avenue and Madison Avenue. NYRR does not publish a total-climb figure.
What streets are blocked off for the NYC Marathon?
The streets on the course itself. NYRR says the New York City Police Department closes streets along the course on race day, starting early in the morning so trucks and staff can set up, and that no unsanctioned bikes or other activity are allowed on the course while it is closed.
How do you watch the NYC Marathon?
From the street, for free. NYRR says most of the course is open to spectators from mile 3 to mile 26, with no viewing at the start or on any bridge. Its recommended spots include Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn (miles 2 to 4), Williamsburg and Greenpoint (miles 10 to 13), First Avenue (miles 16 to 18) and Fifth Avenue (miles 23 to 24).
How long does it take to train for the NYC Marathon?
Our marathon plans run 12, 16 or 20 weeks. For the 2027 race on Sunday, November 7, a 16-week plan starts Monday, July 19, 2027 and a 20-week plan starts Monday, June 21, 2027. The plan bridge on this page works out the start date for you.