New York City Marathon 2024 guide: How to watch, when it starts and celebs running

The TCS New York City Marathon is about to kick off and the Big Apple is already buzzing.

Tens of thousands of runners from across the globe will take to the streets Sunday, Nov. 3, traveling 26.2 miles through the city’s five boroughs.

The race begins in Staten Island and moves through Brooklyn and up into Queens. Runners then take on the east side of Manhattan, spend a couple miles traveling through the Bronx, before making their way through Central Park to the finish line. See the full map, below.

Here’s what to know ahead of race day, according to marathon organizers.

What time does the New York City Marathon start?

The wheelchair division begins at 8 a.m, while professional runners start their race at 8:35 a.m. Then the five waves of runners begin their race every 35 minutes, starting at 9:10 a.m.

How do I watch the New York City Marathon?

For those in New York City, the race is generally open to spectators from mile 3 to mile 26, per the marathon’s organizers.

Locally, the race will be televised on WABC-TV Channel 7 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. To tune in across the rest of the country, ESPN2 will be broadcasting the race live from 8 to 11:30 a.m. ESPN will also stream the race live through their app and website.

What are the best viewing routes for the New York City Marathon?

Here are the best viewing spots in New York, according to the marathon’s organizers.

• Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn: miles 2-4
• Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue: mile 8
• Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn: miles 10-13
• Pulaski Bridge: mile 13.1
• First Avenue, Manhattan: miles 16-18
• East Harlem: miles 18-20
• Charity Cheer Zone, First Avenue and 120th Street: miles 19-20
• Fifth Avenue, East 90th Street-East 105th Street: miles 23-24
• Central Park, race finishes at 67th Street on West Drive

What roads are closed during the New York City Marathon?

According to New York City officials, the following streets will be closed on Sunday.

Bronx street closures

• East 138th Street between Alexander Avenue and Morris Avenue
• East 138th Street between Rider Avenue and Madison Avenue Bridge
• East 140th Street between Morris Avenue and Rider Avenue
• Alexander Avenue between East 135th Street and East 138th Street
• Morris Avenue between East 138th Street and East 140th Street
• Rider Avenue between East 140th Street and East 138th Street

Brooklyn street closures

• 4th Avenue between 94th Street and Flatbush Avenue 
• 6th Avenue between 74th Street and 75th Street
• 7th Avenue between 79th Street and 74th Street 
• 74th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue 
• 92nd Street between Dahlgren Place and Fourth Avenue 
• 92nd Street between Gatling Place and Fort Hamilton Parkway 
• 94th Street between Fort Hamilton Parkway to 4th Avenue
• Bay Ridge Parkway between 7th Avenue and 4th Avenue
• Bedford Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Nassau Avenue 
• Dahlgren Place between Verrazano Bridge and 92nd Street
• Flatbush Avenue between 4th Avenue and Lafayette Avenue
• Fort Hamilton Parkway between 92nd Street and 94th Street 
• Greenpoint Avenue between Manhattan Avenue and McGuiness Blvd 
• Lafayette Avenue between Flatbush Avenue and Bedford Avenue 
• Manhattan Avenue between Nassau Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue
• McGuiness Boulevard between Greenpoint Avenue and 48th Avenue
• Nassau Avenue between Bedford Avenue and Lorimer Street

Manhattan street closures

• First Avenue between 47th Street and 42nd Street 
• First Avenue between 59th Street and Willis Ave Bridge 
• Fifth Avenue between 120th Street and 90th Street 
• Fifth Avenue between 138th Street and 124th Street 
• 90th Street between Fifth Ave and East Drive 
• 120th Street between Fifth Ave and Mt. Morris Pk West 
• 124th Street between Madison Ave and Mt. Morris Pk West 
• 47th Street between First Ave and Second Ave 
• 59th Street between 59th Street Bridge and First Ave 
• Broadway between 59th Street and 65th Street 
• Broadway between 59th Street and 77th Street 
• Central Park between West 77th Street and 86th Street 
• Central Park West between 59th Street and 77th Street 
• Columbus Ave between 59th Street and 77th Street 
• Central Park South between Fifth Ave and Columbus Circle 
• Some FDR exits
• Grand Army Plaza between East Drive and Central Park South 
• Some Harlem River Drive exits

Queens street closures

• 10th Street between Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive
• 23rd Street between Queens Plaza South and Queens Plaza North
• 44th Drive between 10th Street and Hunter Street
• 48th Avenue between 11th Street and Vernon Boulevard
• Hunter Street between 44th Drive and Crescent Street
• Crescent Street between Hunter Street and Queens Plaza South
• Queens Plaza South between Crescent Street and 23rd Street
• Vernon Boulevard between 48th Avenue and 10th Street

Staten Island street closures

• Bay Street between Richmond Terrace and School Road
• Dennis Toricelli Street between School Road and Lyman Avenue
• Duer Lane between Major Avenue and McClean Avenue
• Lily Pond Avenue between Staten Island Expressway and Father Capodanno Boulevard
• Lincoln Place between School Road and Narrows Road
• Lyman Avenue between Dennis Toricelli Street and Tompkins Avenue
• Major Avenue between Lily Pond Avenue and Tompkins Avenue
• McClean Avenue/Battery Road between Lily Pond Avenue and New York Avenue
• Narrows Road South between Fingerboard Avenue and Lily Pond Avenue
• Richmond Terrace between Jersey Street and Bay Street
• St. Marks Place between Victory Boulevard and Hyatt Street
• School Road between Bay Street and Staten Island Expressway
• Tompkins Avenue between Major Avenue and McLean Avenue
• Tompkins Avenue between Fingerboard Road and School Road
• Wadsworth Avenue between Bay Street and Tompkins Avenue

Bridges and highway closures

Manhattan and Bronx bridges

• Madison Avenue Bridge
• Willis Avenue Bridge

Manhattan and Queens bridges

• Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge

Brooklyn to Queens bridges:

• Pulaski Bridge (southbound)

Brooklyn highways:

• Brooklyn Queens Expressway between Verrazano Bridge and 79th Street

Brooklyn to Staten Island bridges:

Who won the New York City Marathon last year?

In 2023, Ethiopian Olympian Tamirat Tola won the men’s division with a finishing time of two hours, four minutes and 58 seconds, NBC Sports reported. In the women’s division, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won, finishing in two hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds.

In the wheelchair divisions, Swiss athlete Catherine Debrunner won the women’s division last year with a finishing time of one hour, 39 minutes and 32 seconds. Also from Sweden, Marcel Hug won in the men’s division in one hour, 25 minutes and 29 seconds.

Which celebrities are running the New York City Marathon?

Jennifer Connelly, known for her roles in “Labyrinth,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” revealed on social media that she’ll be running the marathon in support of The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“Catfish” star Nev Schulman also shared on Instagram that he plans to run the marathon this weekend in a post where he expressed his gratitude for being able to run after his bike accident two months ago.