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The Course

Aerial view of runners at 2025 TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon wouldn’t be what it is without the support of the communities the course runs through. To minimize the race’s impacts on the Bronx, as the neighborhood has evolved over the past 50 years of the 5-boro marathon, the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon course will include minor adjustments.

Starting this year, after crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge, runners will make a left onto East 135th Street and then make a right on Alexander Avenue, continuing straight on Alexander Avenue. Then—instead of making a left on East 138th Street—they will turn left onto East 141st Street, before turning left on Third Avenue and then right onto East 138th Street to continue across the Madison Avenue Bridge.  

This is the first time in 15 years that the TCS New York City Marathon course has changed, as New York Road Runners celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic 5-boro marathon course, which was first run along New York City’s streets on October 24, 1976.

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2026 TCS New York City Marathon Course Map
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The Course

  • Fluids, Food, and Amenities

    For your safety, take fluids, fuel, and amenities only at official stations.

    • Purified water will be available at official fluid stations every mile from mile 3 to mile 25, except miles 5, 7, and 9.
    • Gatorade® Endurance Formula™ Lemon-Lime flavor will be available at official fluid stations every mile from mile 3 to mile 25, except miles 5, 7, and 9.
    • Fluids will be dispensed in compostable cups. There will be tables on both sides of the course. To avoid the bottleneck at the first table, get a cup from a later table. Please keep moving after you pick up your cup.
    • Culligan filtered self-serve water refill stations will be available in each borough at miles 8, 14, 17, 20, and 23.
    • Maurten Gels will be available at Gel Depots at miles 12 and 18 to help fuel you. Signage on the course will indicate the gel zones. Available gels on the course will be Maurten Gel 100 (non-caffeinated in black packaging) and Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 (caffeinated in white packaging).
      • We strongly advise that you carry your own fuel, in addition to using these Maurten Gel Depots to supplement your fueling. Please note: The number of gels available on course is limited and is not guaranteed. Be respectful of the runners who come behind you. We recommend taking one gel per Gel Depot.
      • Additional Maurten Gels will be available to purchase at the Maurten booth at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance.
    • Bananas will be available at mile 21.

  • Toilets

    Portable toilets (including wheelchair-accessible ones) are located at every mile beginning at mile 3.

  • Lactation Accommodations

    For the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon course, there will be dedicated lactation spaces that provide pumping accommodations and amenities at miles 8, 17, and 22. Manual Medela breast pumps will also be available, giving participants easy options for pumping. No expressed milk will be transported at this time. 

  • Medical Aid

    • Medical aid stations are located approximately every mile starting at mile 3 and at the finish.
    • Medical volunteers and supplies are available at all aid stations. If you’re ill, injured, or need attention, stop at the nearest aid station.
    • The NYRR Medical Team is equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the start and course medical tents, in ambulances along the course, and at post-finish medical tents to provide trained medical professionals with the tools they need in a life-threatening emergency.
    • If you have a medical emergency at the marathon (including in the start or finish areas), call  866-705-6626 for the fastest medical response. Friends and family can call the Medical Information Hotline ( 855-697-7786) to ask about runners who have received medical assistance during the race.

  • Mile/Kilometer Markers, Clocks, and Timing Systems

    • Mile markers are posted every mile, and kilometer signs are posted every 5 kilometers.
    • All course clocks are set to correspond to wave 1.
    • Timing Systems are located at the start, every mile beginning at 3M, every 5K beginning at 5K, halfway (13.1M), 25.2M, and the finish.

  • Pedestrian Crossing Zones

    Several designated pedestrian crossing zones will be available to help spectators move safely around the course. See below for specific location details.

    Brooklyn

    • Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street
    • Bedford Avenue and Broadway

    Manhattan

    • First Avenue and 69th Street
    • First Avenue and 72nd Street
    • First Avenue and 83rd Street
    • First Avenue and 86th Street

  • Finish Line, Official Finishers, and Sweep Buses

    This schedule is designed to allow participants who can maintain a 16-minute-per-mile pace, based on the wave 5 start time, to complete the course on the streets. Participants who are not able to maintain this pace (based on the wave 5 start time) should be aware that fluid stations and other course amenities may not be available and that they may be asked to move to the sidewalks or to board the sweep bus. A team of NYRR staff and volunteers will support those participants on the sidewalks.

    Runners who finish through 10:00 p.m. ET, regardless of their start time, will receive:  

    • A finisher medal 
    • An official event result listing at results.nyrr.org
    • 9+1 credit toward non-complimentary, guaranteed entry to the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon 
    • A star (or six-star medal, if eligible) in the Abbott World Marathon Majors six-star medal program

    Participants crossing the finish line after 10:00 p.m. ET will not be recorded as official finishers and will not receive an official event result listing. These participants will receive a finisher medal. 

    Sweep buses will follow the marathon route at an approximately 16 minute-per-mile pace based on the final wave start time. These buses will transport participants who wish to drop out to the post-finish area. Please be aware that participants who board a sweep bus will not be able to cross the finish line and will not be recorded as official finishers.

  • Dropping Out

    • If you need medical assistance, report to a medical aid station.
    • Your friends and family can track your progress by using the New York Road Runners app.
    • If you have not completed the course, do not go through the finish line or you will be disqualified and barred from future TCS New York City Marathons.
    • To claim your checked bag, enter Central Park West at 62nd Street and speak to an NYRR staff member. After 7:00 p.m., all unclaimed bags will be moved to the  NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, where they will be available for pickup on Marathon Monday, November 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

  • No Unsanctioned Bikes or Unauthorized Activities on the Course

    On Sunday, November 1, 2026, the New York City Police Department will close streets along the TCS New York City Marathon course. Closures begin early in the morning to ensure delivery trucks, ambulances, and New York Road Runners staff and volunteers can safely set up medical tents and water stations before the race start.

    In coordination with various city agencies, FOR EVERYONE’S SAFETY, NO UNSANCTIONED BICYCLES OR UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE MARATHON COURSE WHILE IT IS CLOSED TO TRAFFIC—THIS INCLUDES DURING SETUP AND WHILE RUNNERS ARE ON THE ROAD.

    Anyone attempting to ride or engage in any other unauthorized activity anywhere on the course will be diverted and removed by the authorities.

    We ask that everyone adhere to this restriction.