How to enter the New York Marathon?
Want to run the New York Marathon? Registration opens in February 2027 for the November 7 race. Learn the two ways to secure your spot.
Founded in 1970, the New York Marathon has become the most famous and prestigious marathon in the world. Every year, more than 50,000 participants get the chance to start the race. In 2025, over 59,200 runners finished. If you dream of joining them for the next edition, here’s what you need to do.
Registration for the November 1, 2026 New York Marathon is now closed. For the November 7, 2027 edition: registration opens in February 2027 on the marathon organizers’ website. There are actually two ways to get selected for the New York Marathon:
1/ Guaranteed entry
You can secure guaranteed entry if you meet one of these conditions:
- You canceled your entry for the 2026 marathon and followed the cancellation policy.
- You have finished the New York Marathon 15 times. If so, you can request guaranteed entry for all future marathons.
- In 2026, you ran a race organized by NYRR (the New York Marathon organizer) and achieved a time that meets their standards. See the qualifying times on the organizers’ website. For example: the time limit for a half-marathon is 1:21 for ages 18–34, 1:23 for ages 35–39, 1:25 for ages 40–44, 1:28 for ages 45–49, and so on.
- You enter through an official travel agency offering a package that includes your race bib.
- You commit to fundraising for charity through the NYRR Team for Kids program, which promotes youth sports in New York and across the United States.
The guaranteed entry registration period runs from February to March 2027.
2/ The lottery method
If you don’t qualify for guaranteed entry, you can enter the lottery drawing, which takes place in March 2027. There are actually three separate lotteries:
- A lottery for people who live in New York and the surrounding region (within 90 km / 56 miles of New York).
- A lottery for people who live in the United States.
- A lottery for international residents outside the United States.
The lottery remains a smaller path to entry compared to guaranteed entry: in 2017, about 16,000 runners were accepted through the lottery out of roughly 50,000 total participants. Keep in mind you won’t be alone in trying: in 2025, there were over 200,000 applications across all three lotteries.
One more thing: each category has quotas. In 2017, organizers accepted 31.7% of New York residents, 41.6% of US residents, and only 26.6% of international applicants—exactly 4,318 people. Good luck! 🙂