New York City Marathon 2026 is a 26.2 mile race on Sunday, November 1, starting at 09:10 at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York. The course climbs about 830 feet in total.
Five boroughs and five bridges: from Staten Island over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, to the finish in Central Park.
Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. In recent years five waves from 9:10 to 11:30 a.m.: check your bib for your wave, color and corral
Central Park, on West Drive by Tavern on the Green
It climbs about 830 feet in total. The highest point is 279 feet above sea level, at mile 0.9.
In recent years, water and Gatorade about every mile from mile 3, and gels at miles 12 and 18
Staten Island Ferry or the official buses to the start village. Leave plenty of time
Five bridges: the Verrazzano (mile 1) and the Queensboro (miles 15 to 16) are the big climbs, and Fifth Avenue climbs from mile 23. New for 2026: a redrawn loop in the Bronx
9:10 a.m. · Mile 0
You start at the Staten Island end of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, in waves from about 9:10 to 11:30 a.m. The color on your bib sets your corral and your side of the bridge.
Miles 0 to 2 · Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
The biggest climb of the day comes first: about 150 feet to the middle of the span near mile 1, with New York Harbor below and Manhattan on the horizon. Then it's downhill into Brooklyn.
Miles 2 to 11 · Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the longest borough of the race, about 11 miles. Fourth Avenue runs dead straight for more than five miles through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Park Slope, with bands and crowds the whole way.
Mile 7.5 · Downtown Brooklyn
Fourth Avenue meets Flatbush Avenue at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. The course turns onto Lafayette Avenue, and around mile 8 the three start routes come together.
Miles 8 to 9 · Fort Greene
A gentle but noticeable climb, about 60 feet in half a mile, through Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, between brownstones and big, loud crowds.
Miles 9 to 12 · Bedford Avenue
Bedford Avenue takes you north through Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg. Parts of it are among the quieter stretches of the course: a good place to find your rhythm before the crowds of Greenpoint.
Mile 13.1 · halfway
Through Greenpoint, then over the Pulaski Bridge into Queens. The halfway mark is on the bridge, and the Midtown skyline fills the view on your left.
Miles 13 to 15 · Long Island City
Two quick miles through Long Island City, between new towers and old warehouses, to the foot of the Queensboro Bridge.
Miles 15 to 16 · the toughest bridge
On the bridge's lower level there are no spectators: just footsteps and breathing for most of a mile, and a climb of about 100 feet. Many runners find this the hardest part of the course.
Miles 16 to 19 · Manhattan
Off the bridge and round onto First Avenue, where the crowds stand several deep. It's more than three miles straight north, through the Upper East Side and East Harlem.
Mile 20 · the Bronx
Over the Willis Avenue Bridge for about a mile in the Bronx, the fourth borough. For 2026 this loop is redrawn for the first time in fifteen years, with fewer turns: East 135th Street, Alexander Avenue, East 141st Street, Third Avenue and East 138th Street.
Miles 21 to 22 · Harlem
Back over the Madison Avenue Bridge into Manhattan, then down Fifth Avenue through Harlem and around Marcus Garvey Park.
Miles 22 to 24 · Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue climbs gently but steadily beside Central Park, about 100 feet over a mile: the last real hill, just when your legs feel it most. The Guggenheim Museum, at 89th Street, marks the top.
Mile 24 · Central Park
At 90th Street you turn into the park at Engineers' Gate, then roll south down East Drive, with a couple of short climbs on the way.
Mile 25 · Central Park South
Out of the park at Grand Army Plaza, past the Plaza Hotel, and west along Central Park South: the loudest half mile of the race.
Mile 26.2 · Central Park
At Columbus Circle you turn back into the park and climb gently up West Drive, past the mile 26 sign, to the finish line by Tavern on the Green.
Route: traced on OpenStreetMap from NYRR's published course and road closures, with the 2026 change in the Bronx