NYC Marathon 2026 Guide: Course Map, How To Watch, Road Closures

NEW YORK CITY — Tens of thousands of runners will once again take to the streets for the annual New York City Marathon.

The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon will send nearly 60,000 people running 26.2 miles across the five boroughs, from a start in Staten Island to victory in Central Park.

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This year is the 50th anniversary of the marathon's five-borough race. This year's race begins at 8 a.m., though start times are spaced out through 11:30 a.m.

Race Map

The course touches all five boroughs — it starts on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and passes through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx before re-entering Manhattan to finish the race in Central Park.

Nearly half of the course's 26.2 miles are in Brooklyn, and the final few miles stretch down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue before heading into the park. Only a couple of miles are located in Queens and the Bronx.

Here's the official course map as provided by New York Road Runners:

Where To Watch

Anyone hoping to watch runners cross the finish line will have to purchase seating at the Grandstand in Central Park, where general admission tickets are $61.48.

But you won't have to pay to cheer on the runners. Officials have recommended several easily accessible viewing spots along the course, including along First Avenue on the Upper East Side, Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.

Though the Pulaski Bridge connecting Brooklyn to Queens is closed to spectators, fans can cheer on the runners on the Queens side, located just past the race's halfway mark.

Watching From Home

In the New York City area, ABC7 will broadcast the race from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with pre-race coverage beginning at 7 a.m.

Those outside the city can watch the race from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. via ESPN. ESPN2 will broadcast coverage, and viewers can also watch via their app on smartphones and tablets, and on ESPN.com with a subscription.

Street Closures

Several streets are closed in and around the marathon route.

The marathon starts on Staten Island and crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn. Runners follow Dahlgren Place and 92nd Street to Fourth Avenue, then head through Brooklyn along Flatbush, Lafayette, Bedford, Nassau and Manhattan avenues, before continuing on Greenpoint Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard to the Pulaski Bridge.

From Queens, the course follows 11th Street, 48th Avenue, Vernon Boulevard, 10th Street, 44th Drive, Hunter Street, Crescent Street and Queens Plaza South, then crosses the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan.

Once in Manhattan, runners head north on First Avenue, cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx and loop through the South Bronx before returning to Manhattan over the Madison Avenue Bridge.

The course then follows East 138th Street to Fifth Avenue, heads south through Harlem and along Fifth Avenue to East 90th Street, and enters Central Park. Runners continue through the park toward the finish near West Drive.

See the full list of closures here.