How to register and participate in the New York City Marathon 2024?

The New York City Marathon takes place each first Sunday in November. For 2024, it will be on Sunday November 3rd.
The inscriptions to the marathon will start on February 28 until March 21, 2024. You can read here the official information.

The History behind New York City Marathon:

Created in 1970, New York’s marathon welcomes athletes from around the world who sign up at one of the most famous races in the world.
The race consisted of running around Central Park a few times back in the day. But in 1976, the number of participants grew, and the Co-founder, Fred Lebow decided to redesign the race path to include New York City’s five boroughs.
Nowadays, the marathon starts in Staten Island, close to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which shuts down for the event. During the race’s first few minutes, the bridge is overcrowded with runners.
The path heads to Brooklyn, Queens, then the runners cross the East River by the Queensboro Bridge to reach Manhattan. The itinerary goes North on First avenue to briefly reach the Bronx before going back to Manhattan on 5th avenue and finally crossing the finish line in Central Park.

How to register for the New York Marathon?

The marathon takes months and even years to prepare mostly because of its organization (travel, budget) and its registration which are both challenging.
For the lucky participants, a lottery will determine by a computer who will qualify. Once selected, the champions are listed along with the “VIPs” and regulars. Due to its popularity, there’s a high number of registration at the race, and you have 2 out of 5 chances to participate.
Your best bet is to register on the official website from February 28 to March 21, 2024.
– note: you must be 18 to register.
Avoid filling up the form by saying that you can run the marathon in less than 2 hours since the organizers aren’t naïve and are used to fake statements.
You must indicate the following to register:
– Your first name and, if available, a TCS New York City Marathon password
– Your NYRR member number (if available)
– The name and time achieved in previous marathons (the last two years)
– A credit card still valid for the next upcoming marathon
– Your bank information.

Register here

Participation in the New York City’s Marathon

For those who don’t give up on the way and manage to pass through the registration process and the cost of a trip to New York, an unforgettable ovation will welcome you somewhere in Central Park.
Each runner receives a certificate attesting to their participation in the event. Then you could proudly frame it in your office or living room 🙂

The best tips for New York’s Marathon

1^st best tip for NY’s Marathon: Another way to participate in New York’s Marathon is to become one of the 12 000 volunteers of the event which might open the door for eventual future participation.
2^nd best tip for NY’s Marathon: Each Marathon edition breaks registration records. The best way is to be prepared in advance and register as early as indicated above!!!
3^rd best tip for NY’s Marathon: If you plan to participate but don’t want to organize the trip, you can contact one of the travel agencies listed in the official website of the marathon (not available yet).

For more info, visit

The official website: www.tcsnycmarathon.org/
The Facebook group: www.facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners/
If you want to know the best spots to watch the marathon, read my tips in NYCTT.

Good luck!!! And let us know if you’re planning to run New York’s Marathon, and we can follow you!