From Staten Island to Central Park: The NYC Marathon has completed its COVID comeback
After a cancellation in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and a small field for the 2021 race, the New York City Marathon is expected to get back to full capacity this year with more than 50,000 runners from all of the world participating in the event's 51st running.
The 26.2-mile course will hit each of the city’s five boroughs before runners cross the finish line at Central Park.
The pandemic is still not far away from the minds of the marathon directors, as each runner who participates must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
When does the New York City Marathon start?
The race starts at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 6.
What are the start times for the New York City Marathon?
8 a.m. — Professional Men’s Wheelchair Division
8:02 a.m. — Professional Women’s Wheelchair Division
8:22 a.m. — Handcycle Category and Select Ambulatory Athletes with Disabilities
8:40 a.m. — Professional Women’s Open Division
8:55 a.m. — Mastercard Priceless Start
9:05 a.m. — Professional Men’s Open Division
9:10 a.m. — Wave 1
9:45 a.m. — Wave 2
10:20 a.m. — Wave 3
10:55 a.m. — Wave 4
11:30 a.m. — Wave 5
How long is the New York City Marathon expected to last?
Final finishers are expected to complete the race around 8:30 p.m. ET.
How can you watch the New York City Marathon?
Locally in the New York area, fans can watch the race on ABC7/WABC-TV. The national broadcast will air on ESPN2, with streaming on the ESPN app. Pre-race coverage starts at 7 a.m. ET with live streaming on the ABC app and the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) New York City Marathon app, which is also used to track runners.
A domestic Spanish-language broadcast will air the race on ESPN3 and the ESPN app starting 8:30 a.m. ET.
What’s the route of the New York City Marathon?
The race starts at Verrazano–Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, before making its way through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx before heading back to Manhattan, and finishing up in Central Park.
Who are the defending champions of the New York City Marathon?
Kenyans took both the men’s and women’s races, with Albert Korir crossing the finish line in a time of 2:08:22 and Peres Jepchirchir, who won an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in the marathon, winning the women’s division in 2:22:39.
Marcel Hug (1:31:24) and Madison de Rozario (1:51:01) won the men’s and women’s wheelchair events.
What is the prize money for the New York City Marathon?
This year, there is a pool of $534,000 in prize money ($267,000 each for the men and women). To be eligible for prize money, runners must finish in 3 hours, 10 minutes or less. If a participant sets a course record in an event, that athlete will receive an additional $50,000.
1st — $100,000
2nd — $60,000
3rd — $40,000
4th — $25,000
5th — $15,000
6th — $10,000
7th — $7,500
8th — $5,000
9th — $2,500
10th — $2,000
What is the New York City Marathon doing about diversity among runners?
For the first time the marathon will award prize money to its runners who identify as non-binary, while also setting standards for qualifying, and establishing team awards and a club point series. Those non-binary runners who finish first through fifth will receive prize money, with the top finisher taking home $5,000.