The Best Tips for Training for & Racing the New York City Marathon

Are you one of the lucky runners who secured a spot in the New York City Marathon?  Every year, hundreds of thousands of people vie for a very limited number of entries into this famous and iconic race.  If you’re fortunate enough to get a spot in the New York City Marathon, be sure to train and plan well so you can enjoy your 26.2-mile tour of the five boroughs of New York City.  These are the best tips we know to train for and to have a successful and fun race at the New York City Marathon!

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Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Full Circle Podcast, your source for insights into the science and art of endurance sports training and racing. I'm your host, Coach Laura Henry. There are countless, countless pieces of advice to offer marathon runners.

And there are many, many best practices that runners should implement on race day when they cover 26.2 miles. However, even if the same distance, that 26.2 miles, is covered in all marathons, each individual race has specific things that make it different from other marathons. Today, I'm going to share the best tips for runners seeking to train and then run through all five boroughs of New York City in the TCS New York City Marathon.

If you're seeking some specific guidance and specific workouts of how to train for the New York City Marathon, be sure to check out our New York City Marathon training plans, and there'll be a link to those in the show notes. My first tip, number one, train on hills. Relative to other Abbott World Marathon major races, such as the Chicago Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Tokyo Marathon, and the London Marathon, the New York City Marathon is hilly.

Only the Boston Marathon and the Sydney Marathon have more elevation gain than New York. The good news? The largest hill is actually right at the start of the race. It's the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Yes, a bridge is the largest hill in the New York City Marathon. But there are rolling hills throughout the rest of the course, and there are a couple of good hills in that final 5K. It's important to prepare for that constant demand to go up and down hills in training by doing some specific hill repeat workouts or hill-specific workouts, and by including hills in elevation gain in all of your long runs.

By hill-specific training runs, I mean workouts that focus both on going uphill and on going downhill. All too often, I see athletes focusing on workouts where they are working on their hill-climbing skills and speed, but it's honestly even more important to work on developing the durability, resilience, confidence, and skills to run well downhill because of how much more force the body absorbs on descents. I plan hill repeat workouts for my athletes training for the New York City Marathon that focus on both of these things.

For instance, in one workout, the focus will be on doing repeats of hills and focusing on climbing strength and skills. In these workouts, the work intervals are the climbs, and the recoveries are the descents back down to the bottom of the hill. Then, in a different workout, and usually in a different training week, I plan a hill repeat workout where the focus is on descending.

In these workouts, the work intervals are the descents, and the recoveries are the climbs back up to the top of the hill. No, I didn't make a mistake. Yes, the uphills are the recoveries in that workout.

Tip number two, bring throwaway gear for race morning. Purchase inexpensive sweatpants, a sweatshirt, gloves, and a hat at a thrift store or somewhere like Walmart to wear over your race outfit before the race starts. While the weather for the race itself has historically been very good, there's actually only been significant rain twice in 40 years, and the average temperature during the New York City Marathon is usually somewhere between 46 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 8 and 16 degrees Celsius.

It's usually colder on race morning while you're waiting for the race to start. And speaking of waiting for that race to start, there is a long, and I mean long, wait between when you need to arrive on Staten Island and when the race actually starts. There will be bins to collect any clothing you no longer want in the corrals at the race starts, and these items are later donated to charity after the race.

So, purchase throwaway gear for race morning and plan on literally throwing it away into the bins before you start running. Tip number three, plan for the time change. The New York City Marathon traditionally takes place on the first Sunday in November, which happens to fall on the day that Daylight Saving Time ends in the United States.

Yes, Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time. It's actually singular. Be sure that you set any clocks that need setting and or make sure that your phone or other connected device is updating the time properly.

Then enjoy that extra hour of sleep you get before your race morning wake up time. Tip number four, plan ahead for breakfast on race morning. New York City has been called, quote unquote, the city that never sleeps.

But honestly, this is a complete lie on Sunday mornings in New York City. I will spare you the worst story I have about this, but believe me, it's a complete lie. New York City is sleeping on Sunday mornings.

Very few things are open early on Sunday mornings in New York City. And this includes public restrooms and breakfast spots. Be sure to purchase whatever you want to eat for breakfast before the race on Friday or Saturday and bring it with you to Staten Island.

And my personal tip, get famous New York City bagels. Great for carbs before the race start and you get to have that delicious bagel on race morning. Also, be sure to be aware that you may not encounter open restrooms again until you reach Marathon Start Village on Staten Island from when you leave wherever you're staying.

Plan accordingly. Tip number five, choose your race morning transportation wisely. There are two main or official ways to get to the start area on Staten Island.

There are buses from Midtown or New Jersey, and then there's the Staten Island Ferry in Manhattan. You can also be driven over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge via rideshare or being driven by friends or family if you go early enough. However, the bridge does close at 7 a.m. and that's sharp to all vehicle traffic for the entire day.

So be sure to consider that if you do have someone drive you over. They probably won't appreciate getting stuck on Staten Island for 10 plus hours if you don't plan accordingly. If you're already on Staten Island, you can walk, bicycle, or rideshare to the start, but be aware that the roads really do get quite crowded on the island on Marathon Sunday.

All transportation options to Staten Island on race morning take quite a bit of time. The buses take about 90 minutes and there are not restrooms available on the buses. The ferry takes only about 25 minutes, but you need to get in line for a bus from the ferry dock to get to the race start and that adds more time once you're on Staten Island.

Taking the Staten Island Ferry is a pretty iconic New York City experience though. You cross the Hudson River and you pass the Statue of Liberty on your way to Staten Island. Tip number six. 

Brace yourself for a long wait before you start running. There are five start waves in the New York City Marathon. These waves typically range in start time from 9, 10 or so a.m. to 11, 30 a.m. However, the race organizers close down the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to all vehicle traffic starting at 7 a.m. So this means that you need to arrive on Staten Island before 7 a.m. and you will have to wait up to four and a half hours on Staten Island before your race starts.

Be sure to pack all of the food and clothing that you need during that time. Bring an extra blanket or a cheap plastic poncho to use as a ground covering. If you'd like to sit or lie down in the wet and cold, admittedly, grass on race morning in the waiting areas on Staten Island.

Tip number seven. Understand the three different starting paths and routes of the New York City Marathon. In addition to those five start waves that we just talked about, there are also three start colors in the New York City Marathon.

The waves indicate the time that you will start the race and the colors indicate where on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge you will start and which path you will follow for the first eight miles of the New York City Marathon. You are not allowed to move to an earlier, a.k.a. faster, starting wave or color, but you are allowed to move to a later, slower wave or color. Two of the starting colors run on top of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the other starting color runs on the bottom of the bridge.

Which color is which has changed year to year, but know that there's always three. The best views and the best experience, in my humble opinion, are on the top of the bridge. So if you are assigned to a start color that starts on the bottom of the bridge, consider moving back to a different start time.

Yes, it'll be a little bit later and a different start color so you can run across the top of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. And when I ran the New York City Marathon, that is what I personally chose to do. Tip number eight, read the rules, especially about hydration vessels.

Unlike many other Abbott World Marathon major races, hydration vests and hydration belts are allowed in the New York City Marathon. At least as of the time of this recording, which is in spring 2026. However, there's a very odd stipulation that comes along with this.

You cannot have an actual bladder in the bladder section in the back of a hydration vest. You can wear the vest, but that back section cannot hold a hydration bladder during the New York City Marathon. If a hydration vest plus a bladder is something that you typically train with and typically race with, be sure to practice with alternative hydration vessels that are allowed at this particular race.

Also, be sure to train with the hydration options that are going to be available on course, because you will most likely be unable to provide all of your own hydration throughout the race due to the limitations on what you'll be able to carry with you from the start. Tip number nine, pack wisely for race morning and for race day. You are not allowed to check a bag on race day at the New York City Marathon.

At the race expo, you will be given a clear start village bag, which is the only bag you can take with you to the start unless you're carrying or wearing a hydration vest throughout the race. And then you can put some items in that too. Any items that you place in your start village bag will be disposed of, so don't put anything in there that you don't want to lose permanently.

Be sure to plan ahead for exactly what you are going to carry on your person throughout the day and throughout the race, and keep those items packed on your person when you travel to the start area on race morning, so you don't inadvertently lose something important, such as your cell phone. Tip number 10, pre-check a post-race bag. You are allowed to pre-check a bag Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at the New York City Marathon that you will be allowed to retrieve after you finish the race in Central Park on Sunday.

You do this at the race expo prior to the race. Pre-checking a bag like this is optional, but it's a really good idea, especially if you'd like to have warm, dry clothes or different shoes after you finish your race. There is a very long walk at the end of the race.

It's one and a half to two miles, not an exaggeration. So having some dry clothes waiting for you can be really helpful, because by the end of that walk, you'll probably be chilled. Remember, it is November in New York City.

Do not put any valuables in this bag in case something goes awry before the race or during it. Tip number 11, prepare for hours of non-stop noise. The New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the entire world.

Marathon Sunday is the busiest day in New York City other than Thanksgiving Day, which is when the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place. Crowds of people line literally every section of the course that they possibly can. The only sections of the course that do not have spectators along them are the five bridges that are part of the course.

This means that practically all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon are loud in all capital letters. Loud. If you are someone who is sensitive to loud noises and or to loud noises for long periods of time, this is something that you really need to be aware of and prepare mentally for and set your expectations around.

Tip number 12, coordinate with friends and family ahead of time. If you will have friends and family cheering for you in New York City, coordinate with them ahead of time to decide which side of the course they should wait for you on. Runners left or runners right.

So you can be sure to be running on that side of the course during the race. As mentioned earlier, the course is very crowded. That's why there's actually three different paths at the start.

And there are also millions of spectators literally that come out to cheer runners on during the race. This is a wonderful aspect of the New York City Marathon, and it can make seeing the people you actually want to see a little bit more difficult. So discussing this ahead of time with your family and friends will give you all the best chance of seeing each other during the day.

Also, be sure to plan a reunion spot post-race ahead of time so you know where to find each other after you finish. And in the age of cell phones, yes, you can call each other, but that gets crazy. And what if you're several blocks away from each other? Plan this ahead of time.

The New York City Marathon truly is an experience like no other. I've run it myself and I've coached many athletes to it as well. It's a phenomenal race, a unique experience and a wonderful way to experience all five boroughs of New York City.

Running through them like this is truly an iconic and unforgettable experience. If you are lucky to secure a spot at the New York City Marathon, be sure to train and prepare well ahead of time so that you can focus on enjoying your 26.2 miles through New York City on Marathon Sunday. If you'd like to learn more about how to train best for the New York City Marathon, be sure to check out our coaching options and our specific New York City Marathon training plans that we've written.

Links to all of that will be in the show notes. That was another episode of the Full Circle Podcast. Subscribe to the Full Circle Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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Please send us an email at podcast at fullcircleendurance.com or visit us at fullcircleendurance.com backslash podcast. To find training plans, see what other coaching services we offer or to join our community, please visit fullcircleendurance.com. I'm Coach Laura Henry. Thanks for listening.