Course Map
Route based on 2025 course — may differ slightly from this year.
About this Race
The TCS New York City Marathon is a point-to-point tour of all five boroughs, starting with the dramatic climb over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island into Brooklyn, then tracking north through Queens, over the long Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, briefly into the Bronx, and finishing among the rolling paths of Central Park near Tavern on the Green. The route is defined by its bridges and relentless crowd energy rather than fast splits, with First Avenue delivering one of the loudest stretches in world running. It draws one of the largest and most international fields anywhere, blending elite professionals with tens of thousands of charity and lottery runners. It suits those chasing the experience and the World Marathon Majors star over a personal best, rewarding runners who respect its undulations and save something for the late hills.
Course Insight
The Verrazzano start is a roughly one-kilometre climb at around 4% with fresh legs and adrenaline pumping, so going out too hard here is the classic early mistake; let the long descent into Brooklyn be recovery, not free speed. Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue is wide, flat and loud, but the start colours merge around mile 8 (13km) and can bottleneck. The defining test is the Queensboro Bridge near miles 15-16: a long, exposed, spectator-free climb that arrives right at the wall and where many runners visibly slow. Exiting onto First Avenue unleashes a roaring wall of sound that tempts a surge, but this is the biggest pacing trap on the course — the apparent downhill masks subtle rises and runners who blow up here pay on the Fifth Avenue grind from roughly mile 22-24. Crowds are thickest on First Avenue and thinnest above 96th Street and on the bridges. Run the tangents; the painted blue line is not the shortest route.
Difficulty Breakdown
Mostly due to significant climbing (275m), tough late hills.
Course Details
- Course type
- Point-To-Point
- Elevation gain
- 275m
- Elevation loss
- 285m
- Highest point
- 79m
- Lowest point
- 2m
- Net elevation
- -10m
- Start
- Staten Island (Fort Wadsworth)
Race History
The New York City Marathon began in 1970 as a modest affair organized by Fred Lebow and New York Road Runners — 127 runners paid a one-dollar entry fee to loop several times around Central Park, and only 55 crossed the finish line. The race took on the form recognized today in 1976, when it expanded out of the park and onto the streets of all five boroughs to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, transforming a local club run into a citywide spectacle. From there it grew steadily into the largest marathon in the world and a cornerstone of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Along the way it has produced some of the sport's defining moments, including Norway's Grete Waitz, who won the women's race a record nine times, and an era of world-best performances during the late 1970s. Run by the nonprofit NYRR, it now draws tens of thousands of finishers from well over a hundred countries each autumn.
Plan Your Trip
Everything you need to know to get there, get settled, and get to the start line.
- Nearest airport(s)
- John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and Newark Liberty (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA)
- Best area to stay
- Midtown Manhattan for finish-area proximity and every hotel tier, the Upper West Side for staying steps from Central Park's finish, and Long Island City or Brooklyn for cheaper rooms a short subway ride from the start logistics.
- Getting to the start
- The start is at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, reachable only by official transport: take the Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall to a connecting start bus, or board the dedicated buses from the NY Public Library in Midtown or from New Jersey, allowing plenty of time as everyone funnels to one point.
- Race expo
- Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Manhattan (Thursday, Friday & Saturday before Marathon)