NYC Marathon 2026: Start Times, TV Schedule, Road Closures and Where to Watch on Nov. 1

The 2026 New York City Marathon runs on Sunday, Nov. 1, over 26.2 miles through all five boroughs, and the professional wheelchair racers start first at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The first amateur wave starts at 9:10 a.m. These times come from New York Road Runners (NYRR), the organizer, which notes on its race pages that start times are subject to change.

One detail makes the morning easier to miss: daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. the same day, so clocks fall back to 1:00 a.m. and runners gain an hour of sleep. Every time below is after that change.

Start times, wave by wave

Runners leave Staten Island in staggered groups. The professional and wheelchair fields go first, then five numbered amateur waves.

Start	Time (ET)
Men’s professional wheelchair division	8:00 a.m.
Women’s professional wheelchair division	8:02 a.m.
Handcycles and select athletes with disabilities	8:22 a.m.
Professional women’s open division	8:35 a.m.
Professional men’s open division	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.

Each wave has three start colors (blue, orange and pink) and six corrals. Your bib shows your wave, color and corral. NYRR lets you move to a later wave or corral, but never to an earlier one; starting early risks disqualification. Your finish time is net time, measured from when you cross the start line rather than from the gun.

Only registered runners and their guides enter the start area at Fort Wadsworth. The sole bag allowed there is the clear official start village bag from the Expo, and there is no bag check at the start for transport to the finish. NYRR says the start villages and corrals hold more than 1,600 toilets, and discarded clothing is donated to the nonprofit All of Us.

How to watch on TV and online

Locally, New York’s Channel 7 (WABC-TV) carries the race; nationally it airs on ESPN2 and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

Coverage	Channel	Window (ET)
Pre-race	WABC-TV Channel 7	from 7:00 a.m.
Live race, local	WABC-TV Channel 7	8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Continued coverage, local	WABC-TV Channel 7	until 1:00 p.m.
Live race, national	ESPN2	8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Live race, Spanish	ESPN3 (ESPN App, ESPN.com)	8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Finish-line show	ABC Network	3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

NYRR also lists a finish-line view on ABC7NY.com from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On mobile, the ABC 7 New York App covers the Tri-state area and the ESPN App streams nationwide through participating pay-TV providers.

Where to watch in person

Most of the course is open to spectators from mile 3 to mile 26, according to NYRR. There is no viewing at the start or on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and spectators are not allowed on any bridge along the route. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway is the best way to move between spots; check mta.info before you go.

NYRR’s recommended cheer locations include:

• Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, miles 2 to 4 (R train)
• Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, mile 8 (B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, 5)
• Williamsburg and Greenpoint, miles 10 to 13 (G, L, M, J)
• First Avenue, Manhattan, miles 16 to 18 (N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6, F)
• East Harlem, miles 18 to 20 (6)
• Fifth Avenue between East 90th and East 105th Street, miles 23 to 24 (Q, 4, 5, 6)

The Pulaski Bridge at the halfway point (mile 13.1) is closed to spectators, though many cheer from the Queens side. The finish is at 67th Street on West Drive in Central Park. Grandstand seats need a ticket, with entry at West 62nd Street and Broadway; a standing area runs inside the park from Columbus Circle toward the grandstands. Access may be limited by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), NYRR or NYC Parks, every entrance requires screening, and portable toilets along the route are for runners only.

To follow one person, friends and family can track runners in the New York Road Runners app. NYRR lists a medical information hotline for families at 855-697-7786.

Road closures on Nov. 1

The NYPD closes streets along the course on Sunday, Nov. 1, with closures starting early in the morning for setup. Unsanctioned bicycles and other unauthorized activity are barred from the course while it is closed. NYRR has not yet published the 2026 street-by-street closure times, so check back closer to race day.

For scale, the MTA said that in 2025 the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge closed to non-emergency traffic from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on race day, with the upper level shut in both directions from 11:00 p.m. the night before. Those are 2025 figures; the 2026 details are not yet announced.

A new turn in the Bronx

For 2026, NYRR adjusted the route in the Bronx. After crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge, runners turn left onto East 135th Street, right onto Alexander Avenue and continue along Alexander. Instead of turning onto East 138th Street, they now turn left onto East 141st Street, left onto Third Avenue, then right onto East 138th Street to cross the Madison Avenue Bridge back into Manhattan.

NYRR calls it the first course change in 15 years, made to reduce the race’s impact on the Bronx. It comes as the organization marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course, first run on New York City streets on Oct. 24, 1976.

When the clock stops

NYRR builds its pace schedule around 16-minute miles from the Wave 5 start, and sweep buses follow at roughly that pace. Runners who finish through 10:00 p.m. ET are official finishers: they receive a medal, an official result and credit toward a 2027 entry. Anyone finishing after 10:00 p.m. receives a medal only. Unclaimed bags left after 7:00 p.m. go to the NYRR RunCenter for pickup on Monday, Nov. 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Because the time change lands on race morning, it is worth setting a backup alarm. The daylight saving time change on Nov. 1 runs on the same clocks the marathon does. For the rest of the month, see our November 2026 printable calendar and the full list in November 2026 important dates.