NYC Marathon start time today: full schedule, waves, and how to watch live
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- The 2026 NYC Marathon starts at 8:00 AM ET on Sunday, Nov 1. That is 6:00 PM in Pakistan. Pro women start at 8:35 AM, pro men at 9:05 AM.
- Five waves of regular runners start at 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55, and 11:30 AM ET. Your bib shows your wave and start color.
- Watch live on ESPN2 from 8 to 11:30 AM ET, or on WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York. Track any runner free in the NYRR app.
The 2026 NYC Marathon starts today, Sunday, November 1, at 8:00 AM ET. That is 6:00 PM in Pakistan. The men's wheelchair racers go first.
The pro women start at 8:35 AM, the pro men at 9:05 AM. Five waves of regular runners follow, ending at 11:30 AM.
When each race starts
The race does not start all at once. It starts in small groups, one after another. Here is the full list.
All times are Eastern Time. USA Today and Outside Run both report these times:.
- 8:00 AM: Men's professional wheelchair division
- 8:02 AM: Women's professional wheelchair division
- 8:22 AM: Handcycles and select athletes with disabilities
- 8:35 AM: Professional women's open division
- 9:05 AM: Professional men's open division
- 9:10 AM: Wave 1
- 9:45 AM: Wave 2
- 10:20 AM: Wave 3
- 10:55 AM: Wave 4
- 11:30 AM: Wave 5
The waves start about 35 minutes apart. Your bib tells you your wave and your start color: blue, orange, or pink. Corrals close 15 to 25 minutes before each wave.
You can move back to a later wave. But you cannot move to an earlier one. Starting too early can disqualify you, according to the race guide.
One odd detail: clocks go back one hour tonight. Daylight saving ends at 2:00 AM on race morning. New York is on standard time today.
Your phone will update itself, but check any watch or alarm clock. If you are watching from Pakistan, here are the times. The first start is at 6:00 PM.
The pro men start at 7:05 PM. The final wave goes at 9:30 PM.
Why everyone is searching this today
This year's race is special. It marks 50 years since the course grew to cover all five boroughs. That change first happened on October 24, 1976. The very first race was in 1970, when just 127 runners ran loops of Central Park.
Entry cost one dollar.
Today is the biggest edition yet. More than 60,000 runners from 140 countries are expected, according to USA Today. Last year set a record with 59,226 finishers.
New York Road Runners, the organizer, expects even more this year. Fast Company puts the number at nearly 60,000 hopefuls.
The course has also changed this year. It is the first change in 15 years. The new section is in Mott Haven, in the Bronx.
It has fewer turns, according to USA Today. Runners cross the Willis Avenue Bridge first. Then they turn onto East 141st Street.
Next come Third Avenue and East 138th Street. They finish this section by crossing the Madison Avenue Bridge.
The defending champions are all back. Benson Kipruto defends the men's title. He won last year by a fraction of a second.
Hellen Obiri defends the women's title after setting a course record of 2:19:51 last year. Marcel Hug goes for his eighth wheelchair title. Susannah Scaroni is back for the women's wheelchair race.
First prize in the open division is $100,000. Breaking a course record earns a bonus. That bonus is $50,000, according to USA Today.
How to watch and track runners
In the United States, watch on ESPN2. Coverage runs from 8:00 to 11:30 AM ET. You can also stream on the ESPN App. ESPN Unlimited shows pre-race coverage from 7 to 8 AM.
It also shows extra coverage from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. A Spanish-language broadcast runs on ESPN3 from 8 to 11:30 AM.
In the New York area, watch WABC-TV, Channel 7. Pre-race coverage starts at 7 AM. You can also watch the finish line live at ABC7NY. com from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM ET, according to Fast Company.
To follow a specific runner, download the free NYRR app for iPhone or Android. It shows live runner tracking, leaderboards, and the pro races. You can search by name or bib number.
The weather looks good. USA Today expects a high near 61 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about 16 Celsius.
Rain is unlikely. Dublin's marathon just faced a storm, so New York's luck today stands out.
The race covers 26.2 miles, about 42.2 kilometers. It starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, then Queens, then Manhattan.
Next is a short trip to the Bronx. Then they return to Manhattan. The race finishes in Central Park.
Expect road closures all day. The Verrazzano Bridge upper level closed at 11 PM Saturday. The lower level closed at 7 AM Sunday.
On Staten Island, two exits closed at 3 AM. They are Bay Street and Lily Pond Avenue. They reopen by 4 PM.
The Central Park crossroads are closed too. That means 65th, 79th, and 96th streets. Fast Company reports this.
What happens next
The first winners cross the finish line about two hours after their starts. The wheelchair winners should arrive in Central Park around 9:30 AM ET. The pro men will finish a little after 11 AM.
Most runners finish in the afternoon and evening. Finish before 10 PM ET and you get a finisher medal. You also get an official result.
USA Today reports this.
If you are new to running, the marathon can be a fun goal. Learning how to breathe properly while running helps a lot. After any long run, remember to cool down properly.
Your body needs a gentle finish to recover well.
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