NYC Marathon Course Preview 2026: Mile by Mile

50 years of the five-borough course: this is the NYC Marathon course preview, mile by mile, before you run the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Five boroughs, five bridges, and the first route change in fifteen years: between miles 20 and 21 the Bronx section now has five turns instead of seven. Three miles decide the day — mile 15, the Queensboro Bridge; mile 20, the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx; mile 23, the long climb up Fifth Avenue. Wave one starts at 9:10, and the clocks fall back that morning, so check your alarm. On the Queensboro Bridge many GPS watches lose the signal — don't trust the pace on your wrist, run by feel until you're back in daylight. The music runs at 172 BPM if you want to run along, on the treadmill or outside: our playlist "NYC-OST" in Ritmik Run. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:27 Mile 0 · Staten Island & the Verrazzano 1:50 Mile 3 · Brooklyn: Bay Ridge & Fourth Avenue 2:44 Mile 8 · Lafayette Avenue 3:25 Mile 11 · Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Halfway on the Pulaski 4:19 Mile 15 · Queensboro Bridge (the quiet one) 5:12 Mile 16 · First Avenue 6:09 Mile 20 · NEW 2026: The Bronx 6:58 Mile 21 · Harlem & the Fifth Avenue Hill 7:44 Mile 24 · Central Park & the Finish 8:29 See you on November 1 Run to this soundtrack at your own tempo: the NYC-OST playlist is free in Ritmik Run, no account needed → https://ritmik.run/get?s=nyc26-en-d Ritmik Run is our app. Official course map and participant info: nyrr.org Official marathon site: tcsnycmarathon.org Not affiliated with the TCS New York City Marathon or New York Road Runners. Course facts checked against public sources as of October 2026; always check the official site. AI disclosure: Narration is an AI voice. Music is AI-generated. Credits: Race footage (YouTube, CC BY): The Great Manhattan Bridges Walk (2023) · Marzan Worldwide ·    • The Great Manhattan Bridges Walk (2023)   MARATHON TCS NEW YORK CITY 2018 · Club Los Gti ·    • MARATHON TCS NEW YORK CITY 2018   NEW YORK CITY MARATHON 2019 · Seth James DeMoor ·    • NEW YORK CITY MARATHON 2019 | BIG City Mar...   My New York City Marathon Story · AndreRunz ·    • From Competition Winner to Marathon Finish...   MARATÓN NUEVA YORK | Así es la MEJOR maratón del MUNDO desde dentro · Jose Gavilán ·    • MARATÓN NUEVA YORK | Así es la MEJOR marat...   MARATON NUEVA YORK 2013 - DESDE DENTRO · Carlos Ramón ·    • MARATON NUEVA YORK 2013 - DESDE DENTRO   In Diretta dalla 50esima Maratona di NYC · Kiariladyboss (New York City 4 All) ·    • In Diretta dalla 50esima Maratona di NYC🏃🏻...   NYC MARATHON 2016!! · thatsBETSYV ·    • NYC MARATHON 2016!! (11.6.16 - DAY 1050) T...   NYC Marathon 2025: RAW & UnCut · Epic Bucket List ·    • NYC Marathon 2025: RAW & UnCut.  @nyrrvide...   NewYork City Marathon 2024 · 哲睿Jerry ·    • 紐約馬拉松2024 ｜NewYork City Marathon 要拿到第3星真的要...   How I did this in NY · The Science of Pace ·    • How I did this in New York!   50th NYC Marathon 2021 · Arce lopez ·    • El maraton en Nueva  York 2021--50th NYC M...   Photos (Wikimedia Commons): Ajay Suresh · CC BY 4.0 Cjnyc57 · CC BY-SA 3.0 GhostDust · CC BY-SA 4.0 Jag9889 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Jim Henderson · CC BY 3.0 Jim Henderson · CC BY-SA 4.0 King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 Marc A. Hermann / Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) · CC BY 2.0 Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0 Tdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Tom Thai from shanghai, china · CC BY 2.0 Wil540 art · CC BY 4.0 rollingrck from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 Public domain / CC0: Bain News Service; Berenice Abbott; Chester Higgins Jr. (NARA); George Grantham Bain; Hermann Luyken; Jim Henderson; Luther Z Hayes; New York Public Library; The Library of Congress Photos cropped and animated (pan/zoom); changes made. Aerial views: Google Earth Route line: © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM) #NYCMarathon #TCSNYCMarathon #MarathonTraining