NYC Marathon 2026 spectator guide: where to watch, borough by borough

The 2026 race marks 50 years of the five-borough course, and more than a million people line the route. Here is where the runners are at each point, the spots that work best for spectators, and how to move around a city that is cut in half for a day.

By Alex Oz · September 20, 2026 · 8 min read

NYC Marathon 2026 spectator guide: where to watch, borough by borough — NYC Now Guide

Race day

The TCS New York City Marathon is on Sunday, November 1, 2026. It starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and finishes in Central Park by Tavern on the Green, 26.2 miles later. The five-borough course was first run in 1976, so this is its 50th anniversary. Watching is free everywhere along the route.

The 2025 race had a record 59,135 finishers, and about a million spectators were expected along the route. That scale is the thing to plan around.

Start times

2025 schedule shown · check NYRR for the final 2026 times

In 2025 the professional wheelchair races started at 8 and 8:02am, the professional women at 8:35am, the professional men at 9:05am, and the mass waves from 9:10am until about 11:30am. NYRR's 2026 registration lists a staggered wave start from 9:40 to 11am, but the full 2026 schedule had not been published when this was written. The last finishers come in after dark.

The course, borough by borough

Knowing roughly when the runners reach each borough is what lets you see someone twice.

Staten Island (start)

Mile 0–2 · Closed to spectators

The start area at Fort Wadsworth is for runners only, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is closed to traffic. In 2025 the bridge was closed from 7am to 4pm. Do not plan to watch here.

Brooklyn

Mile 2–13 · Fourth Ave, Lafayette Ave, Bedford Ave

Runners come off the bridge into Bay Ridge and run almost the entire length of Fourth Avenue through Sunset Park and Park Slope (roughly miles 3 to 8), then along Lafayette Avenue through Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, north through Bedford-Stuyvesant and up Bedford Avenue through Williamsburg to Greenpoint. Brooklyn is the longest stretch of the race and has some of its best crowds; the R train runs under Fourth Avenue.

Queens

Mile 13–15.5 · Long Island City

The halfway point is on the Pulaski Bridge into Long Island City. Runners loop through Queens for a couple of miles before climbing onto the lower level of the Queensboro Bridge, which has no spectators and is famously quiet. The 7, E, M and G are all nearby.

Manhattan and the Bronx

Mile 16–26.2 · First Ave, the Bronx, Fifth Ave, Central Park

Runners come off the Queensboro Bridge onto First Avenue at about mile 16 to the loudest crowd of the day, and run north to the Willis Avenue Bridge. They spend about a mile in the Bronx, come back into Manhattan over the Madison Avenue Bridge, and head south on Fifth Avenue through Harlem and along Museum Mile. They enter Central Park at East 90th Street, leave it at Central Park South, and re-enter at Columbus Circle for the finish.

The best places to watch

Pick two spots at most, on the same subway line, and accept that you will miss some of the race. Trying to see a runner four times usually means seeing them once.

Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn

Miles 3–8 · R train

Long, wide and lined with local cheering sections. Because the R runs underneath, you can watch early here and still get to Manhattan in time for First Avenue.

Williamsburg and Greenpoint

Miles 10–13 · G and L trains

Bedford Avenue has a neighborhood-party feel and fewer tourists than Manhattan. The G connects it to Long Island City.

First Avenue, Upper East Side

Miles 16–19 · Q to 72nd, 86th or 96th St; 4/5/6 on Lexington

The classic spot. Runners hit a wall of noise after the silent bridge, and the avenue is wide enough that you can usually find room if you walk north past the 60s. The Q on Second Avenue is one block away.

Fifth Avenue and the Bronx

Miles 20–24 · 4/5/6 trains

The Bronx mile and upper Fifth Avenue are the least crowded parts of the course, and runners hitting mile 20 need the support. Watching near the top of Central Park is a good second stop after First Avenue.

The finish

Central Park and Central Park South · Restricted near the line

The finish area itself is restricted, and Central Park South is packed. If you want to meet a runner, agree a spot outside the park well away from the finish, because phones are unreliable in the crowd.

Subway tips and road closures

The subway is the only sensible way to get around. Many streets close, and crossing the course on foot is only possible at marked crossing points, which can have long waits. In 2025 the MTA put platform controllers at busy stations such as Queensboro Plaza and Lexington Avenue–59th Street, and some stairways were entrance-only or exit-only. Check the MTA app or mta.info on the day.

The closures follow the runners. In 2025 they included the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Fourth Avenue, the Queensboro Bridge, First Avenue and the West Drive in Central Park, with the Central Park transverse roads at 65th, 79th and 96th Streets closed most of the day. Roads reopen on a rolling basis once the last runners have passed. Expect the 2026 pattern to be the same; NYC DOT and the NYPD publish the list the week before.