The TCS New York City Marathon entered the history books in 2024 when it became the world’s largest marathon with 55,642 finishers across the five boroughs, a result that represented an over eight-percent growth year-over-year.
The party will continue on Sunday with the event’s 55th version set to commence.
Another global record may be a tall task, but New York will have the distinction of being the last of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors to finish out a busy season of racing, one that included a women’s world record for Tigst Assefa in London in a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds. New York City will follow the other world majors in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin and Chicago.
Ethiopian Tamrat Tolat set a new TCS New York City Marathon in 2023 with a time of 2:04:58, while the women’s mark, which was broken in 2003 by Kenya’s Margaret Okayo in 2:22:31, has held strong for 22 years.
A total of 23 men have run under that course record time in 2025 alone, while 61 women have clocked a marathon effort faster than Okayo’s mark, if nothing else giving a sense that anything is possible on the line.
When Is The TCS New York City Marathon?
The TCS New York City Marathon will be held on Sunday, Nov. 2, and begins in Staten Island, crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. It will make its way through the five boroughs, including Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.
Along with over 50,000 runners from over 135 countries, the event also annually showcases over two million spectators, which scatter in droves across mile markers three to 26.
How Can I Watch The TCS New York City Marathon?
The marathon will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 8:00 a.m. EST to 11:30 a.m. A simulcast in Spanish can be accessible on ESPN3, which can be accessed through the ESPN app and ESPN.com. The ABC Network will air a two-hour post show with interviews of runners, celebrities and many more from 3:00-5:00 p.m. EST.
A radio broadcast of the can be found on the iHeartRadio app starting at 8:00 a.m. EST. The race will also be broadcast on platforms in 15 countries across the world.
The Top Men’s Marathoners To Watch Out For In New York City
Up for grabs at the TCS New York City Marathon is $100,000 for both the men’s and women’s winners, but that’s only a fraction of the total purse, which will account for over $500,000 across both disciplines.
That level of support, which drives the race into World Athletics Elite Platinum Label status, only raises the stakes.
Vying for that prize will be an assorted group that includes last year’s champion, Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, along with the legendary Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
The 40-year-old Kipchoge may be a little past his prime of 2:01:09 from Berlin in 2022 – his official prime, that is; Kipchoge became the first human in history to break two hours in the marathon during an event held by Nike in 2019 – but there’s no doubt he’ll be in the mix here. New York City will mark his third marathon of the year, following previous runs in London and Sydney, where he finished sixth and ninth, respectively.
Over a 12-year career, Kipchoge has won 11 marathons and went back-to-back in both the 2016 and 2021 Olympic marathons in Rio and Tokyo. He told Olympics.com recently that after New York City he “running for purpose” and intends to race in Antarctica.
Two other former champions, Evans Chebet and Albert Korir, will also find themselves on the starting line, alongside Ethiopian star Kenenisa Bekele.
The Americans in the picture includes Joe Klecker and Alex Maier. The 28-year-old Klecker, whose father Barney was a two-time winner of the Minneapolis Marathon, will make his debut over 26.2 miles after hitting 61 minutes and six seconds for the half marathon in January in Houston.
The 25-year-old Maier, meanwhile, a former NCAA All-American who finished out his collegiate tenure with Oklahoma State in 2024, is coming off a win at the Uniper Dusseldorf Marathon in April in 2:08.33.
The Top Women’s Marathoners To Watch Out For In New York City
The women’s field, meanwhile, is locked and loaded with potential record-breakers, including the 2024 Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan, who won Sydney in August in 2:18.22.
The 32-year-old Hassan ran a best of 2:13.44 in 2023 in Chicago, but seems to be, at least on paper, the pre-race favorite, while Hellen Obiri, the 35-year-old Kenyan coming off a runner-up finish in Boston in April, may be a very close second in that ranking.
Obiri certainly knows the course, having won it in 2023. Her compatriot, Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 New York City Marathon winner, also remains a threat.
On the American side, U.S. record-holder Emily Sisson, at 34, should pose a potential case for the surprise upset bid – much like Shalane Flanagan in 2017.
Sisson ran 2:18.29 in 2022 in Chicago, securing the American record. Other U.S. women looking to vie for top placement include Fionna O’Keeffe, Amanda Vestri, Sara Vaugn and Molly Seidel.
Which Celebrities Will Run The TCS New York City Marathon?
Per Runner’s World, Anthony Ramos – currently featured in the new Netflix movie “A House of Dynamite” – is entered.
Reality television veteran Carl Radke, of “Summer House” fame, is also making his marathon debut.