NYC Marathon Turns 50: Record 60,000 Runners Take on the Five Boroughs

The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday, November 1, with a record field of approximately 60,000 runners taking on the 26.2-mile five-borough course. The race began on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, wound through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and finished in Central Park in Manhattan. For the first time in 15 years, the course was modified between miles 20 and 21 in the Bronx to reduce the race's impact on surrounding communities. The elite field included 40 Olympians and Paralympians, 25 Olympic and World Championship medalists, and 22 national record holders. Two-time defending women's champion Hellen Obiri, who set the course record at 2:19:51 the year before, faced stiff competition from three-time Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and American half-marathon record holder Weini Kelati, making her marathon debut. Defending men's champion Benson Kipruto faced returning former champions Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye. In the wheelchair divisions, seven-time NYC champion Marcel Hug led the men's field, and two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni competed just three months after giving birth. Daylight saving time had ended that morning, giving runners and spectators an extra hour. Tracy Morgan served as Grand Marshal, and more than two million spectators lined the route. ABC7 broadcast the race live from 8 a.m.