The New York City Marathon runs Sunday, November 1, through all five boroughs, and the national broadcast starts at 8 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2. Clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. that morning, and all times here are Eastern Standard Time, after the change.
How to watch on TV and streaming
New York Road Runners (NYRR), the race organizer, lists these times in its broadcast guide:
- ESPN2, 8 to 11:30 a.m.: live race coverage nationwide
- ESPN3 (ESPN App and ESPN.com), 8 to 11:30 a.m.: live coverage in Spanish
- WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.: pre-race show, then the race
- ABC7NY.com, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.: finish-line camera
- ABC nationwide, 3 to 5 p.m.: a two-hour finish-line show
- 710 WOR and 104.3HD2 radio in New York, from 7 a.m.
On phones and tablets, the ESPN App carries the race nationwide and the ABC 7 New York app carries it in the New York area. Both require a login through a participating pay-TV provider.
When the runners start
Start times are listed on the start page, all in Eastern time, and NYRR notes they can change:
- 8 a.m.: men's professional wheelchair division; women's at 8:02
- 8:22 a.m.: handcycles and select athletes with disabilities
- 8:35 a.m.: professional women
- 9:05 a.m.: professional men
- 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55 and 11:30 a.m.: the five waves of the main field
Watching in person
Spectators can line most of the route between miles 3 and 26 for free. There is no viewing at the start on Staten Island or on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and the Pulaski Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens is closed to spectators. NYRR suggests these spots, each with nearby subway lines:
- Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn (miles 2 to 4): R
- Williamsburg and Greenpoint (miles 10 to 13): G, L, M, J
- First Avenue, Manhattan (miles 16 to 18): N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6, F
- Fifth Avenue between East 90th and East 105th streets (miles 23 to 24): Q, 4, 5, 6
The finish is on West Drive in Central Park near 67th Street. A free standing area runs from Columbus Circle to the grandstands, about 500 feet before the line, and police and park staff may limit entry when it fills. Entrances at Broadway and West 61st Street and on the east side near Heckscher Fields require screening, and spectators cannot go north of the grandstands. Grandstand seats near the finish need a ticket.
This is the first course change in 15 years. In the Bronx, runners now turn onto East 141st Street and Third Avenue before crossing the Madison Avenue Bridge, so spectators who usually stand on East 138th Street between Alexander and Third avenues should check the 2026 course map before heading out.
