Preparation guide · TCS New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon 2027: split times, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 7 November 2027 (first Sunday of November, pending confirmation on the official website; the time is for the first wave, indicative), starting in Staten Island (Verrazzano Bridge, USA) at 9:10. Here you have the New York City Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
New York City Marathon: route and profile
Official website: water and Gatorade Endurance Formula; stations marked in miles and converted to km.
The course, section by section
| Section | Length | What it's like and how to run it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Staten Island and the Verrazzano Bridge km 0 | 3 km | Start on the bridge: a mile of climbing and another down into Brooklyn, with wind. The climb by effort and very easy; the descent, without letting go. You won't miss that slow first km. |
| 2. Brooklyn km 3 | 18 km | The long, flat section along Fourth Avenue and Bedford Avenue, with crowds for almost 20 km. This is where the marathon is won or lost: target pace and nothing more, even if the crowd pushes you. Drink at every station from mile 3. |
| 3. Pulaski Bridge and Queens km 21 | 3.5 km | Halfway on the Pulaski Bridge and a short stretch through Queens. Check how you feel. A gel before the Queensboro. |
| 4. Queensboro Bridge km 24.5 | 2 km | A long, silent climb (no spectators) on the bridge's lower deck, towards Manhattan. Same effort, not same pace: losing 15–20 s/km is normal. Coming down, the roar of First Avenue: hold back the urge. |
| 5. First Avenue km 26.5 | 6 km | A 6 km straight heading north, slightly uphill, with a wall of spectators. Don't speed up: the crowd deceives you. Go station to station and keep up your gels. |
| 6. The Bronx and back to Manhattan km 32.5 | 3 km | Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx, a couple of kilometres and back over the Madison Avenue Bridge: two short climbs. This is «the wall» at km 32–35: think only about the next bridge. |
| 7. Fifth Avenue km 35.5 | 3 km | A gentle but long climb beside Central Park, between miles 23 and 24. The hill that hurts most because of where it is: arms, short steps and eyes on the park entrance. |
| 8. Central Park and finish km 38.5 | 3.7 km | Rolling hills through Central Park, out onto Central Park South and back into the park for the finish, slightly uphill. Whatever you have left, from Columbus Circle. The finish is a bit further uphill than it looks. |
Route keys
- You pass through the five boroughs of New York and over five bridges. The first, the Verrazzano, is a long climb right after the start (about 2 km): go up gently, there are 40 to go.
- There are 20 stations with water and Gatorade Endurance Formula, marked in miles, starting at mile 3. You don't need a bottle. The information we have only lists water and Gatorade: if you don't see gels in the official guide, carry your own.
- The Queensboro Bridge (mile 15) is quiet and tough and, coming down, First Avenue packed with spectators pushes you to go too fast. Hold your pace at mile 16.
- You have to be at the starting village several hours before: old clothes to throw away and something to eat. You start from Staten Island in waves, and your start time depends on your wave.
3 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (we haven't loaded the official track yet, so climbs and descents aren't adjusted: use it as a reference), with the clock time counted from the 09:10 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:20 9:31 | 0:24:53 9:34 | 0:28:26 9:38 | 0:32:00 9:42 |
| km 10 | 0:42:40 9:52 | 0:49:46 9:59 | 0:56:53 10:06 | 1:03:59 10:13 |
| km 15 | 1:03:59 10:13 | 1:14:39 10:24 | 1:25:19 10:35 | 1:35:59 10:45 |
| km 20 | 1:25:19 10:35 | 1:39:32 10:49 | 1:53:45 11:03 | 2:07:59 11:17 |
| Halfway | 1:30:00 10:40 | 1:45:00 10:55 | 2:00:00 11:10 | 2:15:00 11:25 |
| km 25 | 1:46:39 10:56 | 2:04:25 11:14 | 2:22:12 11:32 | 2:39:58 11:49 |
| km 30 | 2:07:59 11:17 | 2:29:18 11:39 | 2:50:38 12:00 | 3:11:58 12:21 |
| km 35 | 2:29:18 11:39 | 2:54:11 12:04 | 3:19:05 12:29 | 3:43:58 12:53 |
| km 40 | 2:50:38 12:00 | 3:19:05 12:29 | 3:47:31 12:57 | 4:15:57 13:25 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 12:10 | 3:30:00 12:40 | 4:00:00 13:10 | 4:30:00 13:40 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 3 h 30) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 4.8 | — | 9:34 | ~250 ml |
| km 6.4 | — | 9:42 | ~100 ml |
| km 9.7 | — | 9:58 | ~150 ml · gel just before |
| km 12.9 | — | 10:14 | ~150 ml |
| km 16.1 | — | 10:30 | ~150 ml · gel just before |
| km 17.7 | water, sports drink | 10:38 | ~100 ml |
| km 19.3 | — | 10:46 | ~100 ml |
| km 20.9 | — | 10:54 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 22.5 | — | 11:02 | ~100 ml |
| km 24.1 | — | 11:10 | ~100 ml |
| km 25.8 | — | 11:18 | ~100 ml |
| km 27.4 | — | 11:26 | ~100 ml |
| km 29.0 | — | 11:34 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 30.6 | — | 11:42 | ~100 ml |
| km 32.2 | — | 11:50 | ~100 ml |
| km 33.8 | water, sports drink | 11:58 | ~100 ml |
| km 35.4 | — | 12:06 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 37.0 | — | 12:14 | ~100 ml |
| km 38.6 | — | 12:22 | ~100 ml |
| km 40.2 | — | 12:30 | ~100 ml |
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 450 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.1 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.4 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.7 l | 450 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
New York City Marathon: weather in early November
What the weather was like during the race (from the start to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 ºC | 17 ºC | 0.0 mm | 18 km/h |
| 2022 | 8 ºC | 15 ºC | 0.0 mm | 7 km/h |
| 2023 | 12 ºC | 13 ºC | 4.9 mm | 15 km/h |
| 2024 | 7 ºC | 11 ºC | 0.0 mm | 15 km/h |
| 2025 | 8 ºC | 12 ºC | 0.0 mm | 4 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your New York City Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Sunday 7 November 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the New York City Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Aid stations from the official website (marked in miles, converted to km); track not loaded yet (split times at an even pace); weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.