Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, setting of the New York City Marathon 2026

New York City Marathon 2026: 50 Years of the Course, Favorites and a Bronx Change

The New York City Marathon 2026 takes place on Sunday, November 1, with an anniversary and a course change. It is 50 years since the first marathon through all five boroughs in 1976, and the Bronx section changes for the first time in 15 years. In the professional races, 2025 champions Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto return to face Sifan Hassan and the strongest group of American distance runners in years. The details come from the official announcement from New York Road Runners (NYRR), the race organizer.

50 years of the five-borough course

Until 1976 the marathon was run in loops of Central Park. That year, to mark the U.S. Bicentennial, the race first crossed Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, and it was also the first edition with a professional field. To celebrate, NYRR has invited Bill Rodgers, the 1976 winner and the man with the most New York titles, and the daughter of Miki Gorman, the 1976 and 1977 women’s champion, to race week.

The New York City Marathon 2026 also follows a record year: 59,219 people finished in 2025, at the time the largest marathon in history. This year close to 60,000 runners and more than two million spectators are expected.

New York at night with the Brooklyn Bridge, city of the New York City Marathon 2026

The Bronx course change

The practical change for the New York City Marathon 2026 is in the Bronx. According to NYRR, as reported by Spectrum News NY1, the section around mile 20 changes to reduce the impact on residents. After the Willis Avenue Bridge, runners continue on East 135th Street and Alexander Avenue, turn onto East 141st Street and Third Avenue, and return to East 138th Street to cross the Madison Avenue Bridge into Manhattan. It is a short section and the distance stays the same. If you had already studied the course, check the new map.

Contenders in the women’s race

At the New York City Marathon 2026, Hellen Obiri defends the title she won in 2025 in 2:19:51, a course record that had stood for 22 years. Since then she has won the NYC Half and finished second in London with a personal best of 2:15:53. Her main rivals:

  • Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), three-time Olympic champion and the fastest in the field at 2:13:44. She was sixth on her New York debut in 2025.
  • Sheila Chepkirui (Kenya), the 2024 winner, third last year.
  • Julia Paternain (Uruguay), bronze medalist at the 2025 World Championships and her country’s first global medalist in distance running.
  • Weini Kelati (USA), the American half marathon record holder, making her marathon debut.

No American woman has won since Shalane Flanagan in 2017, and the U.S. team also includes Annie Frisbie, Jess McClain and Fiona O’Keeffe.

Steel structure of a bridge over the East River in New York

Contenders in the men’s race

The men’s favorite for the New York City Marathon 2026 is the defending champion, Benson Kipruto, who won in 2025 by three hundredths of a second over Alexander Mutiso, the closest finish in the race’s history. He has four World Marathon Majors wins (Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and New York) and an Olympic bronze from Paris. He will face:

  • Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye, New York winners in 2017 and 2019 and in 2024 respectively.
  • Deresa Geleta and Huseydin Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia), both racing New York for the first time. Esa won Cape Town this year.
  • Andreas Almgren (Sweden), 2026 European 10,000 m champion and European half marathon record holder, making his marathon debut.
  • Italians Yeman Crippa and Iliass Aouani, the 2025 world bronze medalist, and Britain’s Patrick Dever, third last year.
  • Americans Conner Mantz, the national marathon record holder, and Zouhair Talbi, who ran 2:03:45 in Boston in April.

Wheelchair races

Marcel Hug is going for his eighth New York title. In the women’s race Catherine Debrunner returns as course record holder after setting a world record on October 11, which you can read about in the Chicago Marathon 2026 results. Tatyana McFadden, a five-time winner, is trying to become the first to win six.

Suspension bridges over the East River in New York

What to watch at the New York City Marathon 2026

New York is a slow course compared with Chicago or Berlin. It has five bridges and the climb up Fifth Avenue toward Central Park in the final miles, and the professional races have no pacers, so they tend to be tactical and decided late. Finishing times matter less than in other races, which made Obiri’s record last year all the more unusual.

If you are running it this year, my advice is the same as for any hilly course: do not chase your pace on the bridges, and save your legs for the last stretch through the park. The New York City Marathon guide explains how to get a place for 2027, and what to bring to a race has the checklist for race morning, which on Staten Island is usually long and cold.

Classic view of the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan behind

FAQ

When is the New York City Marathon 2026?

Sunday, November 1, 2026, the first Sunday of November as every year.

Who are the favorites for the New York City Marathon 2026?

Hellen Obiri and Sifan Hassan in the women’s race, and Benson Kipruto, Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye in the men’s race, with Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi as the best American hopes.

Has the course changed for the New York City Marathon 2026?

Only a short section in the Bronx, around mile 20. The distance and the rest of the course stay the same.

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