NYC Marathon 2026: Start Time, How to Watch and Who Will Win
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 30 October 2026
Article contains affiliate links that support this blog and my cancer charity work.
The NYC Marathon 2026, officially the TCS New York City Marathon, starts at 8am New York time on Sunday 1 November, when the pro wheelchair racers leave Staten Island. That's 1pm in the UK, 2pm in Central Europe and midnight in Sydney. The pro women follow at 8:35am and the pro men at 9:05am.
More than 50,000 runners will then cross five bridges and all five boroughs to the finish in Central Park. It's the 55th running of the race, and 50 years since it first left Central Park to take in the whole city.
Here's when it starts, how to follow it from your sofa, what the weather is doing and who I think wins.
NYC Marathon 2026 Key Facts
What | Detail |
Date | Sunday 1 November 2026 |
First start | 8am New York time (1pm UK, 2pm Central Europe) |
Pro women start | 8:35am New York time |
Pro men start | 9:05am New York time |
Start | Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island |
Finish | West Drive near West 67th Street, Central Park |
Runners | More than 50,000 |
Defending champions | Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto |
Forecast | Sunny, 7–10°C (45–50°F) at the start, up to around 17°C (63°F) |
NYC Marathon 2026 Start Times Around the World
Watch the clocks on this one. New York's clocks go back an hour at 2am on race morning, a week after the UK and Europe changed. If your phone's world clock showed a different gap earlier in the week, trust the times below.
Start | New York (ET) | US Pacific (PT) | UK (GMT) | Central Europe (CET) | India (IST) | Sydney (AEDT) |
Pro wheelchair | 8:00am | 5:00am | 1:00pm | 2:00pm | 6:30pm | 12:00am Mon |
Pro women | 8:35am | 5:35am | 1:35pm | 2:35pm | 7:05pm | 12:35am Mon |
Pro men | 9:05am | 6:05am | 2:05pm | 3:05pm | 7:35pm | 1:05am Mon |
Wave 1 | 9:10am | 6:10am | 2:10pm | 3:10pm | 7:40pm | 1:10am Mon |
Wave 5 (last) | 11:30am | 8:30am | 4:30pm | 5:30pm | 10:00pm | 3:30am Mon |
Handcycles and select athletes with disabilities start at 8:22am, and waves 2 to 4 at 9:45am, 10:20am and 10:55am New York time.
How to Watch the New York Marathon 2026
The race is broadcast live from 8am to 11:30am New York time. In the US it's on ESPN2 and the ESPN app, with ABC7 covering it locally in New York. NYRR's global broadcast partners carry it in other countries, so check the official watch page for yours before Sunday.
Track a runner: download the free TCS New York City Marathon app and search by name or bib number.
In New York: it's free to watch anywhere except the Staten Island start and the bridges. Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, First Avenue in Manhattan and the edge of Central Park are the classic spots.
My advice? Get the kettle on just before the women's start. Their race usually breaks open around mile 20 in the Bronx. The women should finish around 10:55am New York time and the men around 11:15am, so one sitting covers both.
New York City Marathon Route Change: The New Bronx Course
For the first time in 15 years, the course has changed. After the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx, runners now turn left onto East 135th Street, then right onto Alexander Avenue. It's a small tweak to ease congestion in the South Bronx.
The hard bits haven't moved. The long climb of the Queensboro Bridge around mile 15 and the drag up Fifth Avenue before Central Park are still waiting.
NYC Marathon 2026 Weather Forecast
The forecast is sunny with light winds. It's around 7 to 10°C for the early starts, climbing to 16 or 17°C by the afternoon. That would make it one of the warmest New York Marathons of the last decade.
Lovely for spectators. For the later waves still out there at 2pm local time, it's a different story. If you've trained through a British autumn, 17°C and full sun at mile 20 will feel like July.
NYC Marathon 2026 Women's Elite Field: Obiri Favourite as Hassan Withdraws
The women's race lost two big names this month. Olympic champion Sifan Hassan pulled out after illness disrupted her training, and Fiona O'Keeffe, last year's top American, needed hamstring surgery.
That leaves defending champion Hellen Obiri as the clear favourite. She set the course record of 2:19:51 here last year, then ran 2:15:53 for second in London in April.
Watch out for 2024 champion Sheila Chepkirui, world bronze medallist Julia Paternain of Uruguay, and Americans Jess McClain, Annie Frisbie and Weini Kelati, who makes her marathon debut.
NYC Marathon 2026 Men's Elite Field: Kipruto Defends His Title
Benson Kipruto won last year by three-hundredths of a second over Alexander Mutiso. That's not a typo. It was the closest finish in the race's history.
This time he faces former winners Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye, Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta, and a strong American group led by Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi. My one to watch is debutant Andreas Almgren of Sweden, who holds the European half marathon record of 58:41.
The winners take home $100,000 each, with a $50,000 bonus for a course record. Defending men's wheelchair champion Marcel Hug is back too.
Celebrities Running the New York Marathon 2026
The celebrity runners include actor Jennifer Connelly, Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski, former NFL star Tiki Barber, YouTuber Casey Neistat and former Premier League midfielder James Milner.
Are you running or following the NYC Marathon?
Running
Following
NYC Marathon 2028: My Plans with Team Runna
New York isn't on my 2027 calendar. That's London, the North Downs 50 and an Awareness Run, and you can read how I built it in my NYC Marathon 2027 entry and race calendar guide.
But 2028 is a different story. I hope to be on that start line on Staten Island in November 2028, running with Team Runna. Five bridges, five boroughs and a million people shouting you up First Avenue. It's the Major I want to experience most.
So on Sunday afternoon I'll be on the sofa in Devon with a coffee, taking notes.
If New York is on your list too, I train with Runna. Download the app and use promo code ANDY2 for my exclusive two-week free trial. It works worldwide.
NYC Marathon 2026 FAQs
What time does the NYC Marathon 2026 start?
The NYC Marathon 2026 starts at 8am Eastern Time (1pm GMT) on Sunday 1 November, when the professional wheelchair races leave Staten Island. The professional women start at 8:35am ET and the professional men at 9:05am ET, with five mass waves from 9:10am to 11:30am ET. US clocks go back an hour on race morning, so all times are Eastern Standard Time.
How can I watch the NYC Marathon 2026?
The NYC Marathon 2026 is broadcast live from 8am to 11:30am Eastern Time (1pm to 4:30pm GMT) on Sunday 1 November. ESPN2 and the ESPN app show it in the US, with ABC7 in New York, and NYRR's international broadcast partners carry it in other countries. To follow one runner, use the free TCS New York City Marathon app and search by name or bib number.
What is the weather forecast for the NYC Marathon 2026?
AccuWeather forecasts sunshine and light winds for the NYC Marathon on Sunday 1 November 2026, with 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F) for the early starts and a high of 16 to 17°C (61 to 63°F). That would make it one of the warmest New York Marathons of the past decade.
Who are the favourites for the NYC Marathon 2026?
Defending champions Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto, both of Kenya, are the favourites for the NYC Marathon 2026. Obiri set the women's course record of 2:19:51 in 2025. Kipruto won the 2025 men's race by 0.03 seconds, the closest finish in the race's history.
Is Sifan Hassan running the NYC Marathon 2026?
No. Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan withdrew from the NYC Marathon 2026 in October after illness disrupted her training. American Fiona O'Keeffe, fourth in 2025, also withdrew after hamstring surgery.
Where does the NYC Marathon start and finish?
The NYC Marathon starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island and finishes on West Drive near West 67th Street in Central Park, Manhattan. The 26.2-mile (42.2km) course crosses five bridges and runs through all five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.
What are the NYC Marathon course records?
The women's NYC Marathon course record is 2:19:51, set by Hellen Obiri in 2025, and the men's is 2:04:58, set by Tamirat Tola in 2023. Ten men in the 2026 field have personal bests faster than Tola's course record.
How much prize money do NYC Marathon winners get?
The men's and women's NYC Marathon 2026 winners each receive $100,000, and the wheelchair winners receive $50,000. A champion who breaks the course record earns a further $50,000 bonus.
How many people run the New York City Marathon?
More than 50,000 runners start the New York City Marathon, the largest marathon in the world. More than 59,000 people finished in 2025, a world record for a marathon. Only around 1% of the 240,000-plus applicants won a place through the 2026 drawing.
About the Author: Andy Hood
I'm Andy Hood, an ultra and endurance runner from North Devon, a testicular cancer survivor and an official Runna ambassador.
I was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, and after surgery and chemotherapy I came back to running with a new purpose. Since then I've run 170 miles from Westward Ho! to Land's End, 100K ultras including London 2 Brighton and Race to the Stones, 24 hours on a treadmill and the Tour du Mont Blanc twice, raising over £28,000 for charity along the way.
Next up is the London Marathon in April 2027 for The Robin Cancer Trust, and New York with Team Runna is pencilled in for 2028. I'm also the founder of Check Ya Balls, menswear that reminds men to check themselves.
Follow my training: Instagram · More articles on the blog · Runna free trial
Sources: New York Road Runners (NYRR), AccuWeather, NBC Sports and Associated Press, linked above. Checked 30 October 2026.
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