Two of the fastest marathon courses on earth, two very different races. Here's every stat, side by side, to help you pick.
Indicative — based on GPX data. Both courses normalised to start at 0m.
✓ marks the better number on that stat.
London and New York are both massive, ballot-entry Majors that regularly finish more than 55,000 runners — but London is markedly the faster course. New York's 275m of elevation gain across its five boroughs and bridges dwarfs London's 85m, and the gap shows in the course records: London's men's mark (1:59:30) is the current world record, while New York's (2:04:58) sits nearly five minutes back.
New York's reward for the extra climbing is the borough-by-borough spectacle — Brooklyn's crowds, the eerie quiet crossing the Queensboro Bridge, First Avenue's wall of noise — which many runners rate as the loudest, most emotional course in the sport. London counters with the Cutty Sark start, Tower Bridge at halfway, and a fast finish down The Mall. Choose London for time; choose New York for the experience.