NYC Marathon 2026: Where to Watch, and How to Actually See Your Runner

The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon is Sunday, November 1. The best place to watch is First Avenue in the East 80s and 90s, the loudest two miles in the race. The second best is Fifth Avenue between 90th and 105th Street, where runners are hurting and a face they know changes everything.

It’s free. You don’t need a ticket for almost any of the 26.2 miles. You need a plan, a subway line, and the app.

This year also marks fifty years since the race first ran through all five boroughs, in 1976. Expect it to feel like a big one.

The short answer

Watching one runner: see them twice. Stand on First Avenue around 80th Street (about mile 17), then walk west to Fifth Avenue around 100th Street (about mile 23). It’s a 15 minute walk, and at marathon pace you’ll beat them there comfortably.

Watching the race itself: First Avenue in the 80s and 90s. Three or four people deep, bands, noise, and the leaders fly past.

Bringing kids or hating crowds: Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. Miles of room, neighborhood crowds, easy subway.

Skip: the finish, the bridges, and anywhere near Columbus Circle unless you enjoy seeing the backs of heads.

The course, borough by borough

The course is point to point: start in Staten Island, finish in Central Park. Mile markers below are approximate.

• Staten Island, miles 0 to 2. The start at Fort Wadsworth and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Closed to spectators. Don’t try.
• Brooklyn, miles 2 to 13. Off the bridge into Bay Ridge, then a long straight run up Fourth Avenue through Sunset Park and Park Slope to Atlantic Avenue near the Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower, about mile 8. Then Lafayette Avenue through Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Bedford Avenue through Williamsburg, and Manhattan Avenue through Greenpoint.
• Queens, miles 13 to 16. Over the Pulaski Bridge, which is the halfway point, into Long Island City. A short loop, then onto the Queensboro Bridge.
• The Queensboro Bridge, miles 15 to 16. No spectators. It’s the quietest mile of the race, and runners talk about the wall of sound that hits them coming off it onto First Avenue.
• Manhattan, miles 16 to 20. First Avenue, north from 59th Street through the Upper East Side and East Harlem.
• The Bronx, miles 20 to 21. Over the Willis Avenue Bridge, a short stretch in the Bronx, then back over the Madison Avenue Bridge.
• Manhattan again, miles 21 to 26.2. South down Fifth Avenue through Harlem, past Marcus Garvey Park, then a long gradual uphill along Central Park to 90th Street, where runners enter the park at Engineers’ Gate. Down the East Drive, out along Central Park South, back in at Columbus Circle, and the finish on the West Drive near Tavern on the Green.

Where to watch, ranked

1. First Avenue, East 70s to 90s (miles 17 to 19)

The loudest stretch of the race. Runners come off the silent bridge into a canyon of noise, and the avenue is wide enough that you can actually see. The Upper East Side crowd is deep, so the side you pick matters less than arriving before the leaders.

Subway: the Q to 72 St, 86 St or 96 St on Second Avenue, then walk one block east. The 4, 5 and 6 to 86 St also work.

2. Fifth Avenue, 90th to 105th Street (miles 23 to 24)

Where your cheering matters most. This is the long uphill along the park, deep in the race, when runners are empty. A person yelling their name here is the thing they remember. Crowds are thinner than First Avenue, so you get the front easily.

Subway: the 6 to 96 St or 103 St, then walk west to Fifth.

3. Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn (miles 3 to 8)

The most relaxed viewing on the course. Long, straight and wide, with local crowds, churches and bands, and runners still fresh and waving. Good with kids. Easy to leave.

Subway: the R runs directly under Fourth Avenue. Get off anywhere from 86 St to Union St. The Atlantic Av–Barclays Ctr stop, around mile 8, puts you at one of the best corners in Brooklyn.

4. Bedford Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn (miles 9 to 12)

A neighborhood block party. Brownstones, stoops, people with speakers. Lafayette in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill is especially good.

Subway: the G to Classon Av or Clinton–Washington Avs for Lafayette; the G to Nassau Av for the Greenpoint end.

5. Long Island City and the Pulaski Bridge exit (miles 13 to 15)

Halfway, and fewer spectators than you’d expect. Good if you’re coming from Queens or want space.

Subway: the 7 to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Av, or the G to 21 St.

6. The Bronx, around the Willis Avenue Bridge (mile 20)

Mile 20 is where the marathon really starts, and runners know it. Small crowd, big effect. Worth it if you’re watching someone specific and want to catch them at the wall.

Subway: the 4 or 5 to 138 St–Grand Concourse, or the 6 to 3 Av–138 St.

Where not to stand

• The finish area. The last stretch in Central Park is fenced, crowded and slow to move through, and the grandstands at the finish are reserved. You’ll see very little.
• Columbus Circle and Central Park South. Mile 25. Packed, barricaded, and hard to leave.
• The bridges. Verrazzano, Pulaski, Queensboro, Willis Avenue, Madison Avenue. No spectators.
• Anywhere you’d need to cross the course. Crossing points are limited and slow, and on Fifth and First Avenue you can be stuck on the wrong side for a long time. Pick your side before you leave home.

When the runners reach you

The 2026 start schedule hasn’t been published yet. Last year it looked like this, and 2026 is expected to be similar:

• 8:00am: professional wheelchair races
• 8:22am: handcycles
• 8:35am: professional women
• 9:05am: professional men
• 9:10am to 11:30am: the mass waves, in five starts

Rough timing at the main viewing spots, based on that schedule:

• Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn: wheelchair leaders around 8:15am, pro women around 8:55am, pro men around 9:20am. The mass field fills it from about 9:30am into the early afternoon.
• First Avenue, East 80s: pro women around 10:10am, pro men around 10:30am. The big mass crowd arrives from about 11am and keeps coming until mid-afternoon.
• Fifth Avenue, East 90s: pro women around 10:40am, pro men around 11am. Mass runners from about 11:45am.

Those are estimates. For a specific runner, use the official NYRR app, which tracks them live. Watch their pace, not the clock, and leave for your next spot when they pass the one before it.

Seeing one runner twice, or three times

Pick spots on the same side of the course, connected by a subway line that doesn’t cross it.

• The classic double: First Avenue around 80th Street (mile 17), then walk west to Fifth Avenue around 100th Street (mile 23). Fifteen minutes on foot. Runners take roughly an hour for those six miles.
• The Brooklyn and Manhattan triple: Fourth Avenue at Atlantic Avenue (mile 8), then the Q to 86 St in Manhattan and walk to First Avenue in the 80s (mile 17), then walk to Fifth Avenue (mile 23). Tight, but doable for most runners. Leave Brooklyn the moment they pass.
• Tell your runner exactly where you’ll be: which side, which corner, what you’re holding. They’re scanning a crowd of thousands while exhausted. A bright sign or a balloon on a stick helps more than you’d think.

What to bring

• Layers. Early November mornings are cold, and you’ll be standing still.
• A sign with their name, big and readable from the middle of the road.
• A charged phone and a power bank. You’ll use the app all morning, and cold drains batteries.
• Coffee, and something to eat. Delis along the course get mobbed.
• A small bag, not a big one. Expect security checks near the finish.
• Know your bathroom plan. Cafes and delis along the route fill up fast. Our NYC public bathroom guide has the backups.

Getting around on race day

The subway is the only sensible way to move. Many streets on and near the course are closed from early morning, and buses on those routes are detoured.

• Subway lines that run parallel to the course, without crossing it, are your friends: the R under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, the Q and the 4, 5 and 6 on the East Side, the 6 up to Harlem.
• Trains are packed late morning, especially on the East Side. Give yourself extra time.
• New to it? Read the NYC subway for first timers.

Marathon day is also peak foliage

The best day for fall color in New York is forecast for the same day. If you want both, watch on Fifth Avenue along the park in the East 90s and 100s, where runners and red trees share the view. If you want the color without the crowd, go the day before, or head to Prospect Park, which the course doesn’t enter. Our NYC fall foliage 2026 guide has the full plan, and the Central Park guide covers the park itself.

Check before you go

Race-week details change. Before Sunday, confirm:

• The final start schedule and course map, from New York Road Runners
• Street closures and subway service changes for November 1
• The spectator and bag rules for the finish area
• The weather, and then dress for colder

The rest of the season

New York from late October to early December, in order:

• NYC fall foliage 2026: when it peaks and where to go
• Macy’s balloon inflation 2026: the free Wednesday before the 100th parade
• NYC Christmas markets 2026: which to go to, and when each opens
• Rockefeller tree lighting 2026: December 2, and how to see it without the crowd

Questions about anything in this guide? Reach MUSEENYC at museenyc.art@gmail.com or @museenyc on Instagram.

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