Time to lace up your running shoes!
The annual TCS New York City Marathon will take place during the first weekend of November, bringing together thousands of runners from all across the world to compete in a 26.2-mile race that will make its way through all five boroughs. According to the New York City Road Runners, this year’s race received over 165,000 entries, marking it as the 2nd highest number since the race began back in 1970.
Here’s all your questions about the iconic event answered, including when and where it is and how you can best watch it:
What are the NYC Marathon start times?
This year, the 2024 NYC Marathon will take place Sunday, November 3rd. Start times are subject to change but here’s the schedule as of now:
- 8 a.m. Professional Wheelchair Division
- 8:22 a.m. Handcycle Category and Select Athletes with Disabilities
- 8:40 a.m. Professional Women’s Open Division
- 9:05 a.m. Professional Men’s Open Division
- 9:10 a.m. Wave 1
- 9:45 a.m. Wave 2
- 10:20 a.m. Wave 3
- 10:55 a.m. Wave 4
- 11:30 a.m. Wave 5
What is the NYC Marathon route?
The NYC Marathon route runs 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Manhattan. The route starts and exits Staten Island via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and takes runners through Brooklyn and Queens before crossing over into Manhattan. Runners will then make their way into the Bronx before heading back down into Manhattan where they’ll finish in Central Park. A marathon map can be seen below:
When and where is the Opening Ceremony?
This year’s Opening Ceremony will kick off race weekend with a celebration at the finish line on Friday, November 1st starting at 5 pm. The ceremony will feature the Parade of Nations—a showcase for runners from all over the world—and will end with a spectacular show of fireworks over the finish line.
Where are the best places to watch the New York City Marathon?
You can watch runners finish from the Grandstand Seating (this area requires a ticket) or you can watch from the sidewalk as they run by at the following spots:
- Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn (Miles 2-4): Runners will exit the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and move along Fourth Avenue
- Fourth Avenue & Flatbush Avenue (Mile 8)
- Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Miles 10-13);
- Pulaski Bridge (Mile 13.1): Fans often cheer on runners here from the Queens side
- First Avenue, Manhattan (Miles 16-18)
- East Harlem (Miles 18-20)
- Charity Cheer Zone, First Avenue and 120th Street (Miles 19-20)
- New Balance Mile 20 Block Party, First Avenue near Willis Avenue Bridge: Live music as runners approach their final stretch
- Fifth Avenue, East 90th Street-East 105th Street (Miles 23-24)
- United Entertainment Zone, Columbus Circle
- Moma PS1, Outside Plaza for their marathon celebration with sign making, free snacks, coffee and music
The race finishes at 67th Street on West Drive. Spectators can watch the final approach to the finish line in two ways:
- Grandstand Seating: Tickets are required and are available here prior to race day. Enter at West 66th Street and Columbus Avenue with your Grandstand tickets.
- Standing Spectator Area: Located inside Central Park from Columbus Circle to the south end of the grandstands, approximately 500 feet before the finish.
Where can I watch it on TV?
If you can’t make it to the NYC marathon yourself, fear not–it will also be streaming on TV.
Watch the broadcast live on race day on WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pre-race coverage from Fort Wadsworth begins at 7 a.m. Live streaming will be available on the ABC App and ABC7NY.com from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You can also watch live coverage from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and via the ESPN App on smartphones and tablets and on ESPN.com. Pre-race and continuing coverage will also be streamed live nationally on ESPN3 (accessible on the ESPN App and ESPN.com) from 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., in addition to finish line views from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
What streets will be closed for the marathon?
Last year’s road closures were as follows:
- Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge—Upper level: 11:30pm (Nov. 5) to 4pm
- Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge—Lower level Staten Island-bound: 6:30am to 2pm
- Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge—Lower level Brooklyn-bound: 6:30am to 2pm
- Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge—Midpoint: 11:30 (Nov. 5) to 4pm
- Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge—Exit to 92nd Street: 11:30 (Nov. 5) to 4pm
- 4th Avenue and 82nd Street: 6:45am to 1:15pm
- 74th Street, before 6th Avenue: 6:45am to 1:15pm
- 4th Avenue and 80th Street: 6:45am to 1:16pm
- Bay Ridge Parkway and 6th Avenue: 6:45am to 1:16pm
- 4th Avenue and 63rd Street: 6:55am to 1:31pm
- 4th Avenue and 43rd Street: 6:55am to 1:47pm
- 4th Avenue and 22nd Street: 6:55am to 2:03pm
- 4th Avenue and 18th Street: 6:55am to 2:06pm
- 4th Avenue and 3rd Street: 7:30am to 2:19pm
- Flatbush Avenue and Lafayette Avenue: 7:30am to 2:35pm
- Lafayette and Classon avenues: 7:30am to 2:51pm
- Bedford Avenue and Kosciuszko Street: 7:30am to 2:55pm
- Bedford Avenue between Wallabout Street and Lynch Street: 7:05am to 3:07pm
- Bedford Avenue and South 3rd Street: 7:05am to 3:23pm
- Manhattan Avenue past Bedford Avenue: 7:15am to 3:39pm
- Manhattan Avenue before Greenpoint Avenue: 7:15am to 3:45pm
- McGuiness Boulevard, approaching Pulaski Bridge: 7:30am to 3:56pm
- 10th Street and 44th Drive: 8am to 4:11pm
- Queensboro Bridge—Lower level Queens side: 6:30am to 4:27pm
- Queensboro Bridge—Lower level midspan: 6:30am to 3:15 to 4:35pm
- Queensboro Bridge—Lower level Manhattan side: 6:30am to 4:43pm
- 1st Avenue and 77th Street: 8am to 4:55pm
- 1st Avenue and 97th Street: 8am to 5:15pm
- 1st Avenue between 109th and 110th Streets: 8am to 5:24pm
- 1st Avenue and 117th Street: 8am to 5:31pm
- Willis Avenue Bridge: 7:30am to 5:47pm
- 35th Street just west of Willis Avenue: 7:30am to 5:47pm
- Madison Avenue Bridge: 7:30am to 6:03pm
- Madison Avenue Bridge and West 138th Street: 7:30am to 6:03pm
- 5th Avenue and 125th Street: 8am to 5:32pm
- Mount Morris Parkway and 122nd Street: 8am to 6:14pm
- 5th Avenue and 103rd Street: 8am to 6:35pm
- Central Park East Drive and 84th Street: CLOSED
- Central Park East Drive and 68th Street: CLOSED
- Central Park East Drive and 65th Street: CLOSED
- Central Park South – 59th Street from 5th Avenue to Columbus Circle: 8:30am to 6:45pm
- Central Park West Drive and 62nd Street: CLOSED
- Central Park West Drive and 67th Street: CLOSED
Note: No buses will be able to cross over Fifth Avenue during the race.
- 96th Street Transverse Road: 8:30am-7:30pm
- 79th Street Transverse Road: 8:30am-7:30pm
- 65th Street Transverse Road: closed until 7:30pm but open to buses only
What celebrities are running the NYC Marathon?
This year’s celebrities running the marathon include Randall Park, Jacob Soboroff, YouTuber Casey Neistat, singer Sebastián Yatra, Jacob Soboroff, Nev Schulman, Katherine Morikawa, Greg Rikaart, Matt James, Peter Weber, and many more. See the full list here.
When are runners expected to finish?
Below are the estimated finish times for each division!
- Professional men’s wheelchair athletes: 9:30 am
- Professional women’s wheelchair athletes: 9:40 am
- Professional women: 11:05 am
- Professional men: 11:15 am
- Remaining runners: 11:55 am +
- Final runners: 8:30 pm
How can I enter next year’s NYC Marathon?
Runners who do not have guaranteed entry to next year’s race can wait to apply to the non-guaranteed general entry drawing for 2024 when it goes live.
The entries available to non-guaranteed applicants will be filled through three drawings, one in each of the following applicant pools:
- “NYC metro area” applicants: Residents in and within 60 miles of NYC
- “National” applicants: U.S. residents outside of the NYC metro area
- “International” applicants: Non-U.S. residents, including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories
Are there any freebies or discounts for participating Marathon runners?
Yes! Plenty of local NYC businesses and national chains are offering freebies and discounts to Marathon runners! Everything from free admission to iconic NYC museums to free beer and cookies. Check out the full list of participating businesses here!
What else do I need to know?
For the first time in decades, the marathon route will be closed to cyclists on the morning of the event. The TCS New York City Marathon tweeted, “Anyone attempting to ride anywhere on the course ahead of the Marathon–starting in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn–will be diverted and removed by the authorities.”
The longstanding tradition is getting the boot this year due to safety concerns raised by volunteers. Last year, at least one cyclist hit a pedestrian on the course.