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.
Both are major East Coast American marathons, but New York is a ballot-entry World Marathon Major with a field near 59,000 and a fast-for-its-terrain 2:04:58 course record, while Marine Corps is a smaller, open-registration race through Washington DC with a considerably slower course record (2:14:01) reflecting its no-prize-money, participation-first ethos.
They sit close together on the calendar — New York in early November, Marine Corps in late October — so choosing between them (or running both in the same season, back to back) is a real option for East Coast marathoners. Pick New York for scale, five boroughs, and Majors status; pick Marine Corps for a monuments-focused course and a far easier path to the start line.