The 53rd edition of the New York City Marathon is taking place this Sunday with runners representing nearly 150 countries. The 26.2-mile journey will begin at 8 a.m. ET at the starting line in Staten Island. 

Per usual, runners will go through the five boroughs of the city. The ceremonial blue line, which represents the finish line, was painted on Wednesday morning in Central Park.

This year, the New York Road Runners received nearly 165,000 applications for the 2024 marathon drawing. This was the second-most applications in event history.

How to watch

  • When: Sunday at 8 a.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN2, ESPN3
  • Stream: fubo (try for free)

Best places to watch in person

  • Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn
  • Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue 
  • Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn
  • Pulaski Bridge 
  • First Avenue, Manhattan 
  • East Harlem
  • Charity Cheer Zone, First Avenue and 120th Street 
  • Fifth Avenue, East 90th Street-East 105th Street
  • United Airlines Zone
  • For the finish at 67th Street on West Drive: spectators can buy tickets for the grandstand seating, or use the standing apectator area inside Central Park from Columbus Circle to the south end of the grandstands -- which is about 500 feet before the finish line.

Notable celebrities participating

  • TV personality Vinny Guadagnino ("Jersey Shore")
  • "The Bachelor" contestants Matt James and Peter Weber 
  • TV host Nev Schulman ("Catfish: The TV Show")
  • Actress Jennifer Connelly ("Top Gun: Maverick," "Labyrinth," "Requiem for a Dream")
  • Actor Randall Park ("Fresh off the Boat," "Veep," "The Interview")

Last year's winners

Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia took first place in the men's division with an official time of 2:04:58, breaking the record set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 by eight seconds. 

No ad available

Tola won the marathon gold medal in Paris this summer with an Olympic record of 2:06:26. This weekend, he will become the first reigning men's Olympic champion to participate in the NYC marathon in 10 years. Also participating will be silver medalist Bashir Abdi of Belgium, along with former NYC champions Geoffrey Kamworor (2017, 2019), Albert Korir (2021) and Evans Chebet (2022).

In the women's division, Kenya's Hellen Obiri has finished first in back-to-back NYC marathons. She put up an official finish time of 2:27:23 last year. Obiri also got the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

No ad available

In 2023, Obiri became the first woman in 34 years to win both Boston and NYC in the same year. She is on a mission to do it again as she won Boston in April.