NYC Marathon course.

How I’d run it, stretch by stretch

Miles 1 and 2: the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

Over these 2 miles the course climbs 148 feet and drops 203, 51 feet net down. The climb: The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge from mile 0.0 (+148 feet over 0.9 mi, 3.2%).

The biggest climb on the course is the first mile, and it comes while you’re packed in shoulder to shoulder and full of nerves. Let it be your slowest mile. I’d give back 15 to 30 seconds against goal pace on the way up and not chase them on the way down, because the drop into Brooklyn is steep enough to cost your quads later. The bridge is also the most exposed stretch of the day, so on a windy morning tuck in behind someone and let them take it.

Miles 3 to 8: Fourth Avenue

Over these 5.8 miles the course climbs 119 feet and drops 135, 18 feet net down.

Fourth Avenue is long, straight and loud, and it rolls so gently that it reads as flat. This is where pace drifts. The crowds make goal pace feel easy, and a few seconds a mile here turns into minutes after mile 20. I’d settle into goal pace by mile 3, check the watch more often than feels necessary, and take the first gel around mile 5 or 6.

Miles 8 to 13: Lafayette, Bedford and the Pulaski Bridge

Over these 5.6 miles the course climbs 178 feet and drops 200, 23 feet net down. The two climbs: Lafayette Avenue from mile 7.9 (+55 feet over 0.5 mi, 1.9%); The Pulaski Bridge from mile 12.7 (+45 feet over 0.4 mi, 2.2%).

The turn onto Lafayette Avenue brings the longest climb since the bridge, a steady rise through Fort Greene that’s easy to push too hard because the crowds are right on top of you. Run it by effort. Bedford Avenue and Greenpoint roll gently after that, with a few quieter blocks. The Pulaski Bridge puts you at halfway, and I’d use its top as a check-in: if goal pace still feels controlled, you’re on track. If it already feels like work, ease off now, not at mile 20.

Miles 14 to 16: Queens and the Queensboro Bridge

Over these 2.6 miles the course climbs 143 feet and drops 113, 29 feet net up. The climb: The Queensboro Bridge from mile 14.4 (+133 feet over 1.0 mi, 2.5%).

Queens is barely more than a flat mile, then the Queensboro Bridge: the second-biggest climb on the course, on the lower deck, with no spectators and almost no sound but footsteps. It is the climb people underestimate. Let the pace slip on the way up, hold the effort, and don’t try to win the time back on the way down. Coming off the bridge onto First Avenue, the noise hits all at once. Expect it, so it doesn’t carry you off.

Miles 17 to 19: First Avenue

Over these 3.2 miles the course climbs 46 feet and drops 82, 37 feet net down.

First Avenue runs straight north for more than three miles, wide and loud, gently up and down and then down toward Harlem. It’s the biggest crowd of the day and the easiest place to run too fast. Run with the noise, not with its pace. This is the stretch to take fluids and your next gel, because the Bronx and Fifth Avenue come next and you’ll want that fuel there.

Miles 20 and 21: the Bronx

Over these 1.9 miles the course climbs 64 feet and drops 65, about level overall.

The Willis Avenue Bridge takes you into the Bronx just before mile 20, and the Madison Avenue Bridge brings you back about a mile later. Neither bridge is big, but they come right where the marathon starts to hurt, and the turns in between break your rhythm. I’d run this stretch in small pieces: to the next turn, then to the next bridge. The route through the Bronx is new for 2026, so the turns are new for everyone.

Miles 22 to 24: Fifth Avenue

Over these 2.6 miles the course climbs 110 feet and drops 12, 98 feet net up. The climb: Fifth Avenue from mile 22.8 (+94 feet over 0.9 mi, 2.0%).

This is the hardest stretch of the course. Fifth Avenue runs flat through Harlem, then climbs steadily for most of a mile to the park entrance at East 90th Street, right when your legs have the least to give. On the profile it doesn’t look like much. It feels like much more. Shorten your stride, keep your arms moving, and run it by effort. Losing time here is fine, and pushing to hold pace is how the last two miles fall apart.

Miles 24 to the finish: Central Park

Over these 2.5 miles the course climbs 70 feet and drops 98, 28 feet net down.

Inside the park the drive runs downhill for most of a mile, then up and down in short pieces to the exit at Grand Army Plaza. Central Park South climbs gently to Columbus Circle, and the last few hundred meters back in the park rise to the finish. If there’s anything left, spend it after Columbus Circle. Before that, just hold your form.