Tens of thousands of runners participated in the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1. The 26.2-mile race traversed all five boroughs of New York City, beginning in Staten Island and concluding in Manhattan’s Central Park. The event drew competitors from around the world and featured professional, wheelchair, handcyclist, and open divisions.
The marathon followed its annual tradition of a staggered start. The professional wheelchair division began at Fort Wadsworth at approximately 8 a.m. ET, followed by handcyclists and athletes with disabilities. The professional women’s and men’s open divisions started next, with five additional waves of runners departing between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Defending champions Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto of Kenya returned to the field after their respective victories in 2025. The 2026 race also featured the marathon debut of Andreas Almgren, the World Half Marathon champion from Sweden. American marathon record-holder Conner Mantz, who set a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 43 seconds at the Chicago Marathon last year, was also among the professional competitors.
The event affected tens of thousands of participants and residents across all five boroughs. While the source did not provide the exact count of runners for 2026, the scale involved tens of thousands of individuals navigating the 26.2-mile course. For local residents, the most immediate impact was the closure of numerous streets and bridges to vehicle traffic throughout Sunday, November 1, in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.
Individual participants and their families could use real-time digital tracking tools provided by the New York Road Runners to monitor progress across the course. The event also required the mobilization of large volunteer groups, such as those pictured distributing water at Alexander Avenue in the Bronx.
Beyond the immediate race day, the marathon impacts the scheduling of international long-distance running calendars. The full results and official winners were scheduled to be posted on the New York Road Runners website following the conclusion of the race. The source did not report specific prize money amounts or the total number of spectators in attendance. Following the race, city streets and bridges were scheduled to reopen as the event concluded.