Run smarter. Race faster.
New York, NY · Sunday, November 1, 2026
New York is not a fast course. It’s a course you have to pace with your head: the biggest climb comes in the first mile, the quietest stretch is on a bridge at mile 15, and the hardest mile is on Fifth Avenue when your legs are already tired. Run the first half by feel, save something for the final 10K, and the crowds will do the rest.
Pace plan
Set your goal and start time. Your checkpoints, the time of day you’ll reach each one, and the course guide below all update to match.
Pacing
A little slower on the climbs, a little faster on the downhills and flats, for the same finish time. Based on where this course climbs. Treat it as an effort guide.
Enter the wave start time on your bib to see the time of day you’ll reach each checkpoint. Waves have gone off from about 9:10 to 11:30 a.m.
Average pace
8:01/mi
Hover or tap a bar to see that mile.
| Checkpoint | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| Into BrooklynMile 2 · Expect to be a little behind here after the bridge climb | 16:11 |
| End of Fourth AvenueMile 8 · Should feel easy. If not, back off now | 1:04:06 |
| Halfway, Pulaski BridgeMile 13.1 · Even pace or a few seconds slow is right on track | 1:44:55 |
| Queensboro BridgeMile 15 · A long climb with no crowds. Let the pace slow | 2:00:11 |
| First AvenueMile 16 · Off the bridge into the crowds. Don’t surge | 2:08:12 |
| Into the BronxMile 20 · The race starts here | 2:40:05 |
| Into Central ParkMile 24 · Fifth Avenue costs most runners some time | 3:12:16 |
| FinishMile 26.2 · Tavern on the Green | 3:30:00 |
Save it to your phone, or send the link to the people cheering for you.
The course
You start on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and nothing later in the race climbs as high. Let the first mile be slow, because the second mile comes back downhill. Your GPS may drift on the bridge, so run by effort until you reach Brooklyn.
8:06 /miMile 2 at 16:11
This is nearly half the race. Fourth Avenue is long and straight, with loud crowds. Settle into goal effort here. Don’t try to bank time. After Fourth Avenue the course rolls gently through Bedford-Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint, where the crowds thin out and get quieter.
7:59 /miMile 13 at 1:44:03
You reach halfway on the Pulaski Bridge, a short, sharp rise into Queens. Check in with yourself here. If goal pace already feels like hard work, ease off now rather than at mile 20.
8:03 /miMile 14.7 at 1:57:44
The climb starts in Queens: a long, gradual ramp up to about 130 feet over the East River, on the lower deck with no spectators. It’s the quietest stretch of the race. Hold your effort steady and let the pace slow. The Manhattan side comes down faster, and you’ll hear First Avenue before you see it.
8:03 /miMile 16 at 2:08:12
You come off the bridge into a wall of noise, and this is where a lot of races go wrong. The avenue is wide and gently rising, and it’s easy to surge. Run your pace and enjoy the crowds without racing them.
7:58 /miMile 20 at 2:40:05
You cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx and come back over the Madison Avenue Bridge. For 2026, the Bronx route has two fewer turns. It’s a short loop, but it falls right where marathons get hard. Think about form and fuel, not the finish.
7:56 /miMile 21 at 2:48:02
This is a long, gradual rise beside Central Park, and it’s the stretch that decides most New York races. Shorten your stride, keep your cadence up, and accept a slower split. Every second you saved earlier gets tested here.
8:05 /miMile 24 at 3:12:16
You enter the park and run through rolling hills, then exit onto Central Park South and come back in at Columbus Circle. Most of what’s left is downhill or flat. The last climb to the finish at Tavern on the Green is short, so empty the tank.
8:00 /miFinish at 3:30:00
| Mile | Terrain | Pace /mi | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Climb | 8:27 | 8:27 |
| 2 | Downhill | 7:44 | 16:11 |
| 3 | Flat | 8:01 | 24:12 |
| 4 | Flat | 8:02 | 32:14 |
| 5 | Downhill | 7:50 | 40:04 |
| 6 | Flat | 8:03 | 48:07 |
| 7 | Flat | 7:54 | 56:01 |
| 8 | Flat | 8:05 | 1:04:06 |
| 9 | Rolling | 8:03 | 1:12:09 |
| 10 | Flat | 7:52 | 1:20:01 |
| 11 | Flat | 7:59 | 1:28:00 |
| 12 | Flat | 8:00 | 1:36:00 |
| 13 | Rolling | 8:03 | 1:44:03 |
| 14 | Flat | 7:57 | 1:52:00 |
| 15 | Climb | 8:12 | 2:00:11 |
| 16 | Rolling | 8:01 | 2:08:12 |
| 17 | Flat | 7:56 | 2:16:08 |
| 18 | Rolling | 7:56 | 2:24:04 |
| 19 | Flat | 7:58 | 2:32:02 |
| 20 | Flat | 8:03 | 2:40:05 |
| 21 | Flat | 7:56 | 2:48:02 |
| 22 | Flat | 8:02 | 2:56:04 |
| 23 | Flat | 8:04 | 3:04:08 |
| 24 | Climb | 8:08 | 3:12:16 |
| 25 | Flat | 7:55 | 3:20:11 |
| 26 | Flat | 8:03 | 3:28:14 |
| Finish | Flat | 8:04 | 3:30:00 |
Lap your watch at each marker; GPS distance drifts over 26.2 miles. Even-pace card for 3:30:00
Race strategy
The bridges will give you slow splits uphill and fast ones downhill. Over the full race, steady effort comes out about the same as even pace, and it costs less. Expect to come through halfway at or slightly behind your even-pace split.
Because of the Queensboro Bridge, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park, most well-paced New York runners run the second half a little slower than the first. Planning for it keeps you from panicking at mile 22.
GPS often drifts on the lower deck of the Verrazzano, the Queensboro, and between tall buildings. Use the mile markers and your total elapsed time instead of instant pace.
The last few weeks
Early November in New York is usually cool, with race mornings typically in the 40s to 50s°F. It doesn’t always cooperate. In 2022 it was in the 70s and humid, and many runners had to slow their goal. Check the forecast the week of the race and adjust your pace before the start, not at mile 18.
Race morning
It’s possible, but it isn’t built for one. Between the bridges, the crowded early miles, and the climb on Fifth Avenue, most runners run a few minutes slower here than on a flat course. Pick a goal that accounts for the course, and treat a PR as a bonus.
New York Road Runners simplified the route through Mott Haven in the Bronx, around miles 20–21. The course now has two fewer turns there. The distance and the rest of the route are unchanged.
Follow the transport time NYRR assigns to you. Ferry and bus times are set by wave, and security lines can be long. Most runners spend a few hours in the start village, so plan your layers and food around that.
Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue and First Avenue in Manhattan have huge crowds but are hard to spot runners in. A side street just off First Avenue, or Fifth Avenue in the 90s, is easier. Use the official app to track your runner, and agree on a side of the street ahead of time.
Last checked October 20, 2026. This is an independent guide from Miles. We’re not affiliated with the race organizer. Start times, cutoffs, and logistics can change, so confirm everything on the official race site before race day.
Miles is a running coach wired directly into your training.