Assisting the arrival of the New York Marathon from the Central Park forums normally costs at least $55. This year, however, some spectators can do it for free. The municipality has made available 350 tickets, which will be assigned through a lottery open to the residents of the city. To participate there is time until Monday 26 October.
The initiative was announced yesterday, Thursday 22 October, by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in collaboration with New York Road Runners (NYRR), the organization that manages the marathon. The places are located in the stands set along the last 200 meters of the route, where the runners cross Central Park before crossing the finish line.
The race will take place on Sunday 1 November 2026. Almost 60 thousand participants are expected, who will travel the traditional 42,195 kilometers crossing all five districts of New York. The departure will be in Staten Island, near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, while the arrival will be as usual in Central Park, Manhattan.
The lottery is reserved for residents of New York who are at least 18 years old. The registration is free and must be carried out through the online form provided by the Municipality, by 23:59 on Monday 26 October, New York.
The winners will be notified shortly after closing the registrations and will receive up to two tickets each. The second entry may also be used by a minor, provided he is resident in New York. The 350 tickets represent the total number of places made available, not that of the winners.
The stands are located in the area of arrival, along West Drive, within Central Park. They allow to see the runners face the last stretch of the marathon, before the finish line near 67th Street. Ordinary tickets for this area start from $55, while other points of the route can be reached for free.
The lottery is not the only way to attend the race. As the organizers explain in the official guide for spectators, most of the 42 kilometres of the route is accessible to the public without a ticket. People can follow the ride along the streets of Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Manhattan, choosing one of the many points indicated by New York Road Runners. Also near the arrival there are some free areas to assist on foot, subject to access restrictions for security and capacity reasons.
This year’s edition also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the journey through all five boroughs. The first New York Marathon took place in 1970, but remained entirely within Central Park until 1975. It was in 1976, on the occasion of the bicentenary of American independence, that the race was extended to the entire city, assuming the structure that made it known throughout the world.
For 2026 there is also a small modification of the track in the Bronx, the first for fifteen years. After the Willis Avenue Bridge, athletes will cross a different part of Mott Haven before returning to Manhattan through the Madison Avenue Bridge. The change, according to New York Road Runners, serves to reduce the impact of the event on commercial activities and local residents.
For those wishing to attend the arrival from the stands, the deadline to be remembered is therefore Monday 26 October.
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