2025 TCS New York City Marathon

Marathon Training

Whether you plan to tackle 26.2M in person or virtually, here are training resources to help you get to the start feeling confident and strong.

NYRR strives to host inclusive, sustainable, and accessible events that enable all individuals to engage. To request reasonable accommodations or for inquiries about accessibility for attending this event, please email accessibility@nyrr.org.

To learn more about NYRR accessibility, please visit the NYRR Disability Inclusion & Accessibility Resource page.

If you are an Athlete with Disability who needs a guide or support runner to participate in a NYRR event, please follow the process explained here. To request to register a support runner, the runner must fill out the following form.

All requests must be placed by runners by September 3.

TCS New York City Marathon runners are assigned to corrals and waves based on the estimated finish time they submitted with their registration.

Runners who wish to submit a faster race result, which could qualify them for an assignment to an earlier start wave, must do so by September 12, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET, following these guidelines:

• Submit request to: https://help.nyrr.org/s/contactsupport
• Runners must provide the official race link (URL) from an in-person, certified marathon completed between January 1, 2025 and September 11, 2025. Race results from indoor marathons, virtual marathons, and triathlons will not be considered.
• Please note: corral changes within a wave will not be considered.

Please note:

• Runners will NOT be able to request a wave change at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance.
• The New Balance Bronx 10 Mile on September 14 is the final NYRR race that updates pace.
• Runners will receive confirmation of their wave/corral placement in mid-October, prior to picking up their bib at Expo.

New this year, runners who register before September 8, 2025 can choose to have their first name added to their marathon bib ($10 for NYRR members and $15 for non-members). With your name displayed clearly on your bib, spectators across all five boroughs can show their support by cheering your name to get you hyped!

Learn more here

We at New York Road Runners believe running should be accessible to everyone. To help, we created NYRR Race Free to provide race fee assistance to those who qualify financially.

In 2024, we offered 1,000+ program slots and more than 3,000 complimentary race entries, including for the TCS New York City Marathon. Race Free applications that met the eligibility criteria were pooled based on previous participation and selected by borough or zip code until all slots were filled.

Check out the Race Free page this summer for updates on the 2026 application period. (Please note runners apply in 2025 for races in the calendar year of 2026.)

• This race is a 9+1 program qualifier.
• We’ve updated our website to increase inclusivity and representation in our races. Runners can now register as woman, man, or non-binary. Visit our FAQ page for more information on how to update your profile.

Check back soon for more info!

Your race bib indicates your start wave, color, and corral. There are five start waves, three start colors (blue, orange, and pink), and six corrals per wave. Wave and corral assignments cannot be changed.

Runners assigned to different corrals and waves but wish to start together may do so by going to the corral and wave corresponding to the higher corral letter and number.

Please follow the multilingual announcements for each wave instructing runners to line up in the corrals.

Your finish time is your net time from when you cross the start line.

Check back soon for start corrals and waves.

Check back soon for more info!

Check back soon for more info!

For your safety, take fluids, fuel, and amenities only at official stations.

• Purified water will be available at official fluid stations every mile from mile 3 to mile 25 except miles 5, 7, and 9.
• Gatorade® Endurance Formula™ Lemon-Lime Flavor will be available at official fluid stations every mile from mile 3 to mile 25, except miles 5, 7, and 9.
• Fluids will be dispensed in compostable cups. There will be tables on both sides of the course. To avoid the bottleneck at the first table, get a cup from a later table. Please keep moving after you pick up your cup.
• Maurten Gels will be available at Gel Depots at miles 12 and 18 to help fuel you. Signage on the course will indicate the gel zones and flavors. Available flavors on the course will be Gel 100 and Caf 100.
• Bananas will be available at mile 21.

For the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, there will be dedicated lactation spaces that provide pumping accommodations and amenities at the start village and finish line, as well as along the course at miles 8, 17, and 22. Manual and electric Medela breast pumps will also be available, giving participants easy options for pumping. Personal breast pumps will be transported from the start to the finish lactation tents. No expressed milk will be transported at this time.

Portable toilets (including wheelchair-accessible ones) are located at every mile beginning at mile 3.

The NYRR Pace Team members are some of the most experienced runners in New York City and the most knowledgeable runners on the course. They have an average success rate of 94% of hitting their target finish time. Pacers will be on hand to guide participants toward specific goal times over the 26.2 miles. Pace Team members will lead groups at various paces between 6:40 per mile and 14:18 per mile (between a 2:55 finish and a 6:15 finish).

Find Your Pacer

If you choose to run with a pace group, you can look for the NYRR Pace Team members in the start corrals wearing their blue-and-white-striped NYRR Pace Team singlets. You can also come to the Running Lab at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo to meet your pacer. Each pacer will carry signs that correspond with their respective finish times and paces. There is no fee to run with the pace team or sign-up process.

Check back soon for more info on Pace Team and corrals.

Medical aid stations are located approximately every mile starting at mile 3 and at the finish.

Medical volunteers and supplies are available at all aid stations. If you're ill, injured, or need attention, stop at the nearest aid station.

The NYRR medical team is equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the start and course medical tents, in ambulances along the course, and at post-finish medical tents to provide trained medical professionals with the tools they need in a life-threatening emergency.

If you have a medical emergency at the marathon (including in the start or finish areas) call 866.705.6626 for the fastest medical response. Friends and family can call the Medical Information Hotline (855.697.7786) to ask about runners who have received medical assistance during the race.

The TCS New York City Marathon course is closed to vehicular traffic during the race, allowing participants access to the streets. The course will reopen to vehicles on a rolling basis; the schedule of bridge and street closures and re-openings will be available soon. 

This schedule is designed to allow participants who can maintain a 16-minute-per-mile pace, based on the wave 5 start time, to complete the course on the streets. Participants who do not able to maintain this pace (based on the wave 5 start time) should be aware that fluid stations and other course amenities may not be available and that they move to the sidewalks or board the sweep bus. A team of NYRR staff and volunteers will support those participants on the sidewalks.

Official finishers will be recorded through 10:00:00 p.m., regardless of their start time. These finishers will receive: 

• A finisher medal 
• An official event result listing
• 9+1 credit toward non-complimentary guaranteed entry to the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon
 
• A star (or Six Star Medal, if eligible) in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal program

Participants crossing the finish line after 10:00:00 p.m. E.T. will not be recorded as official finishers and will not receive an official event result. These participants will receive a finisher medal. 

Sweep buses will follow the marathon route at approximately 16 minute-per-mile based on the final wave start time. These buses will transport participants who wish to drop out to the post-finish area. Please be aware that participants who board a sweep bus will not be able to cross the finish line and will not be recorded as official finishers.

The majority of the course is open to spectators from mile 3 to mile 26, and there are many ways to watch that are free and open to all!

Runners will be able to purchase tickets to the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Grandstand Seating. More info coming soon!

You can also watch the broadcast on TV, computer, tablet, or phone.

Learn more here.

As a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label race, the TCS New York City Marathon operates under World Athletics Rules and is subject to all applicable rules and policies regarding prize money. Prize money categories may be subject to additional eligibility requirements, outlined below.

Prize Money for Invited Professional Athletes

Open Division

Amounts are equal for men and women. Only athletes competing in the Professional/Invited Athlete start are eligible for Open Division prize money; finish order is based on Gun Time.

USA Division

Amounts are equal for men and women. To be eligible for USA Division prize money, athletes must 1) have USA citizenship, and 2) not be eligible to represent another federation in international competition. Only athletes competing in the Professional/Invited Athlete start are eligible for USA Division prize money; finish order is based on Gun Time. USA Division prize money is cumulative with Open Division, NYRR Member Division, and Masters Division, if applicable.

Masters Division

Only athletes 40 years of age or older competing in the Professional/Invited Athlete start are eligible for Masters Division prize money; finish order is based on Gun Time. Cumulative with Open Division, USA Division, and NYRR Member Division amounts, if applicable.

Wheelchair Division

To be eligible for Wheelchair Division prize money, athletes must start in the Invitational Wheelchair Division start.

Time Bonuses: Open and Wheelchair Division

New York Road Runners will pay a $50,000 bonus to the Open Division and/or Wheelchair Division race winners who break the existing event record, based on Gun Time. This bonus is limited to the race winners, only, and the athlete must break, not tie, the record:

Prize Money for NYRR Member Division

Amounts are equal for men, women, and non binary categories. To be eligible for NYRR Member Division prize money, including time bonuses and team prize money, an athlete must have had a valid paid NYRR membership since at least May 2, 2025 through at least the date of the race, and have completed six fully-scored NYRR races during the period of November 4, 2024, and October 31, 2025. NYRR Virtual races do not count towards this six-race requirement. Athletes who meet the NYRR Member Division requirements and start in the Professional/Invited Athlete start will receive priority for NYRR Member Division prize money. Additional prize money positions, if applicable, will be filled from the other race starts, based on Net Time.

NYRR Member Division 40+

NYRR Member Division 40+ prize money is for men, women, and non binary athletes who meet the NYRR Member Division requirements and are 40 years of age or older. Prize amounts are determined by Net Time. Cumulative with Open Division and USA Division amounts above, if applicable.

NYRR Member Division: Teams

For scoring purposes, a men’s team must consist of three men, a women’s team must consist of three women, and a non binary team must consist of three non binary athletes, all running with the same team affiliation. All scoring members must meet the eligibility requirements for NYRR Member Division prize money outlined above. Team prize money is based on the cumulative Net Time of the team members.

Time Bonuses: NYRR Member Division

Each runner who meets the NYRR Member Division requirements and completes the course under one of the times below, based on Net Time, will be awarded the bonus listed below. Each runner is eligible for only one time bonus—the runner will receive only the highest bonus for which the runner’s time is eligible. The time bonus is cumulative with prize money listed above.

Make a post-finish plan for race day and be aware that cellular saturation may prevent you from using your phone in and around the post-finish area. If you’re meeting friends and family, have a meeting location outside the runners-only area. Your friends and family can track you using the NYRR App Powered by Tata Consultancy Services.

Runners will exit Central Park at West 77th Street; MarathonFoto will take pictures and video of all finishers on Central Park West. Once on Central Park West, you may exit the runners-only area at West 75th Street, West 74th Street, or West 69th Street, or continue south to Family Reunion.

Runners who pre-checked a bag can retrieve that bag in the post-finish area located on Central Park West between West 69th Street and West 70th Street until 7:00 p.m. After 7:00 p.m., all unclaimed bags will be moved to the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub where they will be available for pickup on Marathon Monday, November 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, there will be dedicated lactation spaces that provide pumping accommodations and amenities at the start village and finish line, as well as along the course at miles 8, 17, and 22. Manual and electric Medela breast pumps will also be available, giving participants easy options for pumping. Personal breast pumps will be transported from the start to the finish lactation tents. No expressed milk will be transported at this time.

Everyone entering Family Reunion will be subject to bag inspection and screening. You may want to arrange to meet family and friends at a predetermined location away from Family Reunion.

Family Reunion will be located on West 63rd Street through West 66th Street, with screening points for friends and family on Columbus Avenue. Family Reunion will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We suggest meeting your friends and family in Family Reunion at the letter corresponding to the first letter of your last name.

• West 66th Street: A-D
• West 65th Street: E-K
• West 64th Street: L-R
• West 63rd Street: S-Z

We recommend that your friends and family not bring large bags, strollers, or other bulky items to Family Reunion and that they arrive approximately 20–30 minutes after your anticipated finish time, as it can take runners some time to reach Family Reunion.

Friends and family can track runners with the free NYRR App Powered by Tata Consultancy Services. 

Once a runner has claimed their guaranteed entry, or once a drawing applicant has been accepted into the race, all entry fees are non-refundable. Runners entered in the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon may cancel their entry and earn non-complimentary guaranteed entry to the 2026 race, but they will be responsible for claiming their entry and paying the entry fees for the 2026 race.

Visit the Cancellation page for more information.

Note: Runners who earn guaranteed entry to the 2025 race because they canceled in 2024 cannot cancel a second time (in 2025) and become eligible for guaranteed entry in 2026.

No Refunds: Entry fees are non-refundable and may not be deferred or transferred.

If you registered for this race prior to March 17, you will be able to purchase refund protection from April 7-11. If you would like to add this optional refund protection to your registration, please follow these steps:

1. Log into your participant account.
2. Open the Your Events tab.
3. Click View Registration.
4. Select Purchase Refund Protection.

Earn guaranteed, non-complimentary entry to the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon by completing our 9+1 program in 2025. Run nine qualifying races and complete one volunteer opportunity before December 31, 2025 to qualify. Check out our calendar of races to start your progress toward earning 9+1 credits!