The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 1, bringing nearly 60,000 runners to one of the most recognizable courses in distance running. The race crosses all five boroughs â Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan â before finishing in Central Park.
This edition marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course, first introduced in 1976. Defending champions Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri return to lead the elite fields, while thousands of amateur runners will take on the 26.2-mile challenge.
The marathon takes place on Sunday, November 1. The professional wheelchair divisions start first, followed by the elite women, elite men and the mass-participation waves.
2026 New York City Marathon start times (Eastern Time):
| Division | Start Time |
|---|---|
| Professional menâs wheelchair | 8:00 a.m. |
| Professional womenâs wheelchair | 8:02 a.m. |
| Handcycle and selected athletes with disabilities | 8:22 a.m. |
| Elite women | 8:35 a.m. |
| Elite men | 9:05 a.m. |
| Wave 1 | 9:10 a.m. |
| Wave 2 | 9:45 a.m. |
| Wave 3 | 10:20 a.m. |
| Wave 4 | 10:55 a.m. |
| Wave 5 | 11:30 a.m. |
All times are Eastern Time (ET).
In the United States, the national broadcast will air on ESPN2 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET. The same coverage will be available through ESPN Unlimited.
Viewers in the New York area can watch the race on ABC7/WABC-TV, which will carry the event from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. Local pre-race coverage begins at 7:00 a.m.
ABC will also air a national program, Live from the TCS New York City Marathon, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
Fans in the United States can stream the race through ESPN Unlimited. The platform will offer pre-race coverage from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. ET, the main broadcast from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and additional coverage from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
A live Spanish-language broadcast will also be available on ESPN Unlimited from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will show a replay on Monday, November 2, at 8:00 a.m. ET.
In the New York area, the race will also stream on the ABC 7 New York app. A dedicated finish-line camera will be available on the app and ABC7NY.com from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
The official New York Road Runners (NYRR) app provides live runner tracking, leaderboards, race-day information and uninterrupted feeds of all four professional divisions. It is a useful option for spectators who want to follow a particular participant along the course.
NYRR lists ESPN International as a broadcast partner for Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Other international partners include Eurosport in Europe, India and Southeast Asia; TSN in Canada; Fox Sports in Australia; and TVE and TV3 in Spain.
Broadcast and streaming availability may vary by country and provider.
Contenido GEC