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.
Two big American point-to-point city marathons on opposite coasts. New York is a full World Marathon Major with a ballot, a field near 59,000, and 275m of elevation gain across five boroughs and several bridges. Los Angeles is open registration, smaller (around 24,000 finishers), and slightly more hilly still at 290m of gain, running from Dodger Stadium through Hollywood to the coast.
New York's course record (2:04:58) is a touch faster than LA's (2:06:35), likely reflecting the deeper elite fields a Major attracts rather than an easier course. For scale, Majors status, and the five-borough spectacle, New York wins; for an easier-to-enter West Coast alternative with its own strong Hollywood-to-ocean route, LA is a solid pick.