# How long is the NYC Marathon?

The NYC Marathon is 26.2 miles (42.195 km), from Staten Island to Central Park through all five boroughs of New York City. The 2026 race is on Sunday 1 November.

- 26.2 miles
- 42.2 km
- 5 boroughs
- 5 bridges
- 281,300 hamsters nose to tail

Interactive map, to drop it on any town at its true size: https://how-big-is.com/nyc-marathon/

## Drop the route on your town

Move the route onto your own streets with the map above and see how far it would take you.

## The course

It starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island and crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, then runs up Fourth Avenue and Bedford Avenue. The Pulaski Bridge into Queens is the halfway point. The Queensboro Bridge leads into Manhattan and up First Avenue, the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx for about a mile, then the Madison Avenue Bridge back to Manhattan and down Fifth Avenue into Central Park. It finishes beside Tavern on the Green.

## Three starts, one route

Runners start in three groups on the bridge's two levels and take different streets through Bay Ridge before they all run up Fourth Avenue. The map shows the main route.

## New in 2026

For the first time in 15 years the course changes, in the Bronx: runners stay on Alexander Avenue past East 138th Street, then turn onto East 141st Street and Third Avenue before crossing back to Manhattan.

## How it compares

- 10.5× the length of [the Macy's parade route](https://how-big-is.com/macys-parade/)

## Questions people ask

**How long is the NYC Marathon?**
26.2 miles (42.195 km), like every marathon.

**Where does the NYC Marathon start and finish?**
It starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and finishes in Central Park beside Tavern on the Green.

**Which boroughs does the NYC Marathon go through?**
All five: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.

**Where is the halfway point of the NYC Marathon?**
On the Pulaski Bridge, from Brooklyn into Queens.

**How many people run the NYC Marathon?**
More than 59,000 finished in 2025.

## Where the numbers come from

Official figure: 26.2 miles (42.195 km), the marathon distance. Route: © OpenStreetMap contributors, licence: ODbL 1.0.

Credit: Map: how-big-is.com. Outline: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

New York City Marathon is a registered trademark of New York Road Runners, Inc. This page is not affiliated with New York Road Runners.