NYC Marathon 2026: nearly 60,000 to run new route on November 1

The TCS New York City Marathon will be run on Sunday, November 1, 2026, marking 50 years since the race first took its five-borough course from Staten Island to Central Park. Nearly 60,000 runners are expected, according to local race-week coverage, and organisers New York Road Runners (NYRR) open the race weekend with an Opening Ceremony at the Central Park finish line on Friday, October 30. This year's race also brings the first change to the course in 15 years, with a new section through the South Bronx meant to ease congestion.

With a field this size, New York is a race that most entrants run as amateurs, and for many it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Most of the people on the start line are not professionals: they are office workers, students and first-timers who trained for months and, in many cases, raised money for charities. That is what makes the race a reference point for running culture far beyond the United States, including in India, where city marathons and half marathons now draw tens of thousands of entrants and running clubs have become a common way for young people to stay fit and meet others.

The 50th anniversary of the five-borough course gives this year's race extra weight. Running through Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan makes it a city-wide event, and NYRR has marked the anniversary with a ceremonial repainting of the race's blue line, the guide line that runs along the course. The new South Bronx section is a practical change: with tens of thousands of runners, the narrowest parts of a course can become crowded, slowing people down and raising safety risks.

At the front, the men's race looks open. One preview pointed out that no runner in the field has a personal best under 2 hours 2 minutes, and named Sweden's Andreas Almgren, a former middle-distance runner who recently ran a half marathon in 58:06, as the betting favourite against Kipruto. The women's race, by the same preview's account, is thinner after late withdrawals, which makes Obiri and Chepkirui the clear favourites.

Short-term: Road closures and a new route will shape race day for runners and spectators across the five boroughs on November 1.

Long-term: The new South Bronx section may become the race's standard route if it eases crowding, and the 50th anniversary edition is likely to set the tone for how big city marathons handle very large fields.

Who is affected: Tens of thousands of amateur runners, including runners from India, elite athletes and wheelchair racers, spectators and residents of New York City, and the charities that raise money through race entries.

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