New York Marathon 2027: Every Way In, and How to Plan Your 2027 Race Calendar
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 9 October 2026
Article contains affiliate links that support this blog and my cancer charity work.
October is here. The clocks go back, the leaves start to fall, and my thoughts turn to my 2027 race calendar and those warm summer runs. For plenty of you, it's also when the NYC Marathon 2027 lands on the wish list.
Picking races, deciding what the year looks like and scheduling the training around it can feel a bit like the pumpkin the guy next door has been growing all summer. A little heavy. Which race is your A race? What are your B races? Is there time to squeeze anything else in along the way? The year passes so fast that if I don't give the calendar careful thought, I'll be sat here next October wondering what happened to the last nine months.
This article does two jobs. If you're here for the New York City Marathon, the first half covers every way in for 2027, the key dates and when to start training. If you're planning your own year, skip straight to How to Plan Your 2027 Running Race Calendar, where I share how I build mine and what it looks like right now.
If you're here just for a New York Marathon training plan: I train with Runna. Download the app and use promo code ANDY2 for my exclusive double-length free trial.
Key takeaways
The 2027 TCS New York City Marathon is on Sunday 7 November 2027.
The general entry drawing is expected to open in early February 2027, with results in early March. For 2026, only around 1% of applicants got in.
For UK runners, the dependable guaranteed routes are a charity place or an official international tour operator package.
The 9+1 programme now needs its own drawing first, and earns entry to the 2028 race, not 2027.
To build a race calendar, start with your objectives, lock in your main races, map the training blocks back from them, then fit B and C races around them.
Contents
How to Get Into the NYC Marathon 2027: Every Entry Route
The 2027 TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday 7 November 2027, starting on Staten Island and finishing in Central Park. It became the largest marathon ever in 2025 with 59,226 finishers, and it has more ways in than any other Major. Most of them, though, are built for New Yorkers.
Entry route | Guaranteed? | Open to UK runners? | What it takes |
General entry drawing | No | Yes | Apply in the February window. Around 1% of applicants got in for 2026 |
Official charity partner | Yes | Yes | A fundraising minimum, typically $2,500 to $6,000 depending on the charity, plus the race entry fee |
International tour operator | Yes | Yes | A travel package with race entry and hotel, booked through an NYRR-approved operator |
Time qualifier | Yes at NYRR races, capped elsewhere | Yes, but tough | Beat your age-group standard during 2026: a marathon or half marathon at an NYRR race, or a certified marathon elsewhere |
15+ finishes | Yes | Yes | Fifteen or more completed NYC Marathons |
9+1 programme | Yes | In theory only | NYRR membership, selection in a drawing, then nine NYRR races and one volunteer shift in New York. Now earns 2028 entry |
The NYC Marathon lottery (general entry drawing)
This is where most of us start. NYRR calls it a drawing, Americans call it the lottery, and in the UK we'd call it a ballot. The drawing is free to enter, and the entry fee (around $358 plus processing for international runners) is only charged if you're selected. For 2026, demand hit a record and only around 1% of applicants were accepted. NYRR members who miss out are automatically entered into a member-only second-chance drawing.
NYC Marathon charity places
Hundreds of official charity partners hold guaranteed places, and international runners are eligible. Fundraising minimums are typically $2,500 to $6,000 depending on the charity, with the entry fee paid on top. Several UK charities also hold NYC places, often packaged with flights and a hotel. Browse the official charity partners and apply early.
NYC Marathon tour operator packages from the UK
For UK runners this is the most dependable guaranteed route. You get race entry and accommodation in one booking, with support on race weekend. Prices vary by operator and package. Find the current list on NYRR's international tour operator page, filtered by country.
NYC Marathon qualifying times
NYC accepts qualifying times, but what they’re worth depends on where you ran them.
At an NYRR race (the NYC Marathon itself, or an NYRR half marathon such as the United Airlines NYC Half), hitting your age-group standard guarantees entry. This is the only place half marathon times count.
At any other certified marathon, London or Manchester for example, places are capped and go to the fastest applicants first. For 2026, only the top 10% got in, which meant running almost 23 minutes inside their standard. Miss the cut and you’re moved into the drawing automatically.
For the 2027 race, your qualifying time must have been run during 2026. A spring 2027 marathon such as London would count towards NYC 2028 instead, if NYRR keeps the same calendar-year window.
NYRR 9+1 changes for 2027 and 2028
Runners completing 9+1 during 2026 keep their route into the 2027 race. From 2027, NYRR members must first be selected in an eligibility drawing and pay $99 for a 9+1 Pass, then complete the programme for guaranteed entry to the 2028 marathon. Nine races in New York makes it impractical from the UK anyway.
My take: if I wanted New York 2027 from North Devon, I'd enter the drawing on day one in February and, at the same time, speak to a charity or tour operator now. Relying on the drawing alone is roughly a 1 in 100 shot.
As for me, New York isn't in my 2027 calendar, but it will likely feature in my 2028 plans.
NYC Marathon 2027 Lottery Dates and When to Start Your Training Plan
For NYC Marathon 2027 entry, mark early February 2027 for the drawing, and the week of Monday 19 July 2027 for the start of a 16-week plan. NYRR hasn't confirmed the 2027 entry dates yet, so the February and March dates below follow the 2026 pattern (applications 4 to 25 February, drawing 4 March).
Date | What happens |
31 December 2026 | Time qualifying window for 2027 closes |
Early February 2027 (TBC) | Drawing and guaranteed entry applications open. The window for non-NYRR time qualifiers is shorter, around a week |
Late February 2027 (TBC) | Drawing applications close |
Early March 2027 (TBC) | Drawing results and charity partner announcements |
Week of Monday 21 June 2027 | 20-week training plan starts |
Week of Monday 19 July 2027 | 16-week training plan starts |
Sunday 7 November 2027 | Race day |
New York isn't a flat, fast course. You cross five bridges, including the long climb of the Queensboro Bridge around mile 15, and there's a steady drag up Fifth Avenue before you turn into Central Park. A New York Marathon training plan needs hill strength built in, not tacked on.
There's a timing catch for UK runners too. A November race means your biggest long runs land in July and August, the warmest weeks of our summer. If this is your first marathon, take the 20 weeks. The extra month gives you gentler progression and room to absorb a hot week or a missed session without panic.
How to Plan Your 2027 Running Race Calendar
Start with what you want the year to achieve, put your main races in first, map the training blocks back from them, then fit your B and C races into the gaps. That's the whole method. Here's how it works in practice.
A quick guide to race types:
A race: the race your season is built around. You taper for it and peak for it.
B race: a tune-up you train through, usually inside a training block. It tests fitness and race-day routine without derailing the plan.
C race: a race you run for fun, company or a training day, with no pressure on the result.
1. Start with your objectives
This year I've decided to start with my objectives and work backwards. In no particular order, mine are:
Complete one World Marathon Major
Design and run one Awareness Run
Awareness Runs are the ones I design myself. They grab headlines and support cancer charities, and as a cancer survivor, they're important to me. The Krispy Kreme London 50 on 7 November is this year's.
Your objectives might be a first marathon, a PB, a new distance or a race abroad. Two or three is plenty.
2. Put your main races in the diary
Once the main races are in the calendar, everything else is easier to place. These are the races your objectives depend on, so they get booked first.
Looking for a spring marathon closer to home? My Brighton and Manchester Marathon 2027 guide has the dates, entry status and when to start training.
3. Map the training blocks
Next, count back from each main race to see where the training blocks sit. This is where the calendar starts to take shape. It shows you where a B race fits naturally, and it keeps one eye on sensible, so you're not stacking one hard block straight on top of another and overtraining.
Don't forget the gaps between blocks. My guide to the running off-season covers what to do between your last race and the start of the next plan.
4. Add B and C races
B races go inside the blocks, as tune-ups that serve the main race. C races are the extras, and they only earn a place if they don't cost you anything in the block that matters.
3 race calendar mistakes to avoid
Missing the entry window. The big races open months before race day. The London 2027 ballot ran in April 2026, and NYC's opens in February for a November race. Put the entry dates in your calendar, not just the race dates.
No recovery after a main race. After London I've got a 3-week Runna recovery programme before the 50K block starts. Book a B race two weeks after a marathon and your body will send you the bill.
Racing every race flat out. B races are tune-ups, not the main event, and even a main race can have a job other than a PB. I'll dial the ND50 back and use it to build strength and endurance for the Chamonix mountains, rather than empty the tank in July.
My 2027 Race Calendar: London Marathon, North Downs 50 and an Awareness Run
My 2027 calendar has two main races, three B race half marathons, a week in Chamonix and an open slot for an Awareness Run. The two main races are in:
Sunday 25 April: London Marathon. World Major objective ticked off.
Saturday 31 July: North Downs 50 Ultra Challenge (50km), deferred from 2026.
The ND50 was meant to happen this year, until I was once again taken out of the running shoes for emergency surgery, which cost me yet another organ. I'm definitely getting lighter as the years pass. Good for pace, I guess!
The ND50 doesn't tick an objective. It's there as a warm-up for when I head out to Chamonix for UTMB week. You can follow my road to London 2027 on the blog, but let's stay with the calendar.
With the two main races fixed, the training blocks fall into place, and the B races slot in around them:
When | What | Type |
Early January | Start 16-week London Marathon training block | Training block |
February | Half marathon (TBA), racing with Runna as a brand ambassador | B race |
Sunday 14 March | Colchester Half Marathon | B race |
Sunday 25 April | London Marathon | Main race |
Late April to early May | 3-week Runna recovery programme | Recovery |
Mid May | 10-week 50K training block, carrying fitness through from the marathon block | Training block |
June | Half marathon (TBA) | B race |
Saturday 31 July | North Downs 50 Ultra Challenge (50km) | Main race |
August | UTMB week in Chamonix: long mountain days, watching the races and creating content | Not racing |
September to December | Awareness Run (ultra distance, TBA) | Main race |
The Colchester Half is organised by The Robin Cancer Trust, the charity I'm running London for, so it's more than a tune-up. Six weeks out from London, it's a perfectly timed B race and a chance to fly the flag for the charity before the big day.
I expect to go straight back into an ultra training block after the ND50. As crazy as it sounds, the ND50 is training for the Chamonix mountains, so I'll dial my approach to the race back and use it to build strength and endurance.
I'm not racing in Chamonix, but I'll be getting in some long running days around watching UTMB, and that takes me up to late August. That leaves the door open from September to December for an Awareness Run. It will be ultra length, as ultras are my preferred distance.
And that's where my 2027 calendar sits today.
How to Plan Your Running Year in the Runna App
Recent app updates have made scheduling the year ahead easy. I can map out a full running year in Runna: main races, B races and the time in between, all in one place.
Runna learns from your previous training block and builds that into the next one, so when London is done, the recovery programme picks up, then the 50K block starts, each shaped by how the last one went.
Plans change, and that's fine. I amend the calendar as I go, and Runna adapts with it. It's fully adaptable to you and your running calendar.
Whether you've landed an NYC place and need a New York Marathon training plan, or you're mapping out your own 2027, that's the bit that makes a calendar work. The races are the easy part. The training between them is where it's won or lost, and Runna adapts it to you, adjusting when life, illness or a hot July week gets in the way.
Or download the app and use promo code ANDY2. That's two full weeks of Runna Premium instead of the standard trial, enough to set up your year and see how the plan adapts before you commit. The exclusive Runna code works worldwide.
NYC Marathon 2027 and Race Calendar FAQs
When is the 2027 New York City Marathon?
The 2027 TCS New York City Marathon is on Sunday 7 November 2027. It starts on Staten Island and finishes in Central Park.
When does the NYC Marathon 2027 ballot open?
NYRR hasn't confirmed the dates yet. Based on 2026, expect applications to open in early February 2027 for around three weeks, with the drawing in early March.
What are the odds of getting into the NYC Marathon?
Very low. For the 2026 race, only around 1% of applicants were accepted through the general drawing, after record demand.
How can UK runners get a guaranteed NYC Marathon place?
The dependable routes are an official charity partner place or a package from an NYRR-approved international tour operator. Time qualifying is possible, but times from races outside NYRR are capped and accepted fastest first.
Does the 9+1 programme still get you into NYC 2027?
Only if you completed 9+1 during 2026. From 2027, members must first be selected in an eligibility drawing and buy a $99 pass, and completing the programme earns entry to the 2028 race.
When should I start training for the NYC Marathon 2027?
A 16-week plan starts the week of Monday 19 July 2027. A 20-week plan, the better choice for a first marathon, starts the week of Monday 21 June 2027.
What is the difference between an A, B and C race?
An A race is the one your season is built around, with a full taper. A B race is a tune-up you train through inside a block. A C race is run for fun or training, with no pressure on the result.
How do I plan my race calendar for the year?
Start with two or three objectives for the year. Book the main races that deliver them, count back to place the training blocks, then fit B and C races inside those blocks, leaving recovery time between them.
About the Author: Andy Hood
I'm Andy Hood, an ultra and endurance runner from North Devon, a cancer survivor, and an official Runna Ambassador.
Running took on a whole new meaning for me in 2021, when I was diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, I came back to running more determined than ever to make a difference. In 2022 I ran 170 miles from Westward Ho! to Land's End along the South West Coast Path, seven days back to back with around 25,000 feet of climbing.
Since then I've taken on:
100K ultras, including London 2 Brighton and Race to the Stones
24 hours on a treadmill
The Tour du Mont Blanc, twice
50K runs across London, powered by Krispy Kreme doughnuts
Along the way I've raised over £28,000 for charities including the Alzheimer's Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, YoungMinds and ChemoHero. You can see them all on my completed ultras page.
I'm also the founder of Check Ya Balls, a menswear range designed to remind men to check themselves. It was a prompt to check that led to my own diagnosis, and now I want to pass that on to as many men as possible.
Follow my training: Instagram · More articles on the blog · Runna free trial
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