New York City Marathon 2026: How to apply for a place now the ballot is OPEN for world’s biggest marathon

The lottery for the 2026 New York City Marathon is now officially open until February 25th.

It reclaimed its position as the biggest of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors with over 59,000 finishers in November 2025, having been briefly overtaken by the 56,640 who completed London in April of that year.

It was first run in 1970 when it was loops around Central Park but now the course heads through the five boroughs of New York City.

Here’s all you need to know if you want to be part of another special day in the Big Apple on November 1st 2026.

We’ll go through the lottery, good-for-age, charity, tour operator and other modes of entry…

The lottery

Anyone can apply for a place in the New York City Marathon and the application window for the 2026 race opened on Wednesday February 4th and the all-important closing time is 23:59 local (Eastern) time on Wednesday February 25th.

There are three main lottery pools as specified by organisers the New York Road Runners (NYRR):

1. “NYC metro area” applicants: Residents in and within 60 miles of New York City
2. “National” applicants: U.S. residents outside of the NYC metro area, including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories
3. “International” applicants: Non-U.S. residents

The three drawings will take place on Wednesday March 4th.

The lucky ones who are successful – and it’s only around 2-3% – will automatically be charged the full entry fee which for NYRR members is $269.66 and for everyone else is $333.11.

There is a second chance for NYRR members who aren’t successful as they move into a second drawing.

Full details on first drawing available here on the official website. And here for the second chance NYRR members.

New York City Marathon good-for-age qualifying

Runners who meet the qualifying times in their age-group via a performance at an in-person New York Road Runners (NYRR) half marathon or marathon will be able to secure a guaranteed place at the New York City Marathon the following year.

For 2026 time qualifier guaranteed entry, this comprised the following 2025 events: the Fred Lebow Half in January, the United Airlines NYC Half in March, the Maybelline women’s Half in April, the RBC Brooklyn Half in May – and of course the NYC marathon itself, with the cut-offs in the tables below.

It is also possible to improve your chances of getting a place at the New York City Marathon by achieving a qualifying time at a non-NYRR event – though only over the full marathon distance. However, achieving the qualifying time does not guarantee you will get a place. Because the system allocates spots on a fastest-first basis, you will likely need to achieve a faster time than the specified qualification time to have a shot.

Below are the qualifying times for the 2026 edition of the NYC Marathon.

New York City Marathon 2025 – Men’s Qualifying Times
Age Group	Marathon	Half Marathon at one of those five NYRR races
18-34	2hrs 53min 00sec	1hrs 21min 00sec
35-39	2hrs 55min 00sec	1hrs 23min 00sec
40-44	2hrs 58min 00sec	1hrs 25min 00sec
45-49	3hrs 05min 00sec	1hrs 28min 00sec
50-54	3hrs 15min 00sec	1hrs 32min 00sec
55-59	3hrs 23min 00sec	1hrs 36min 00sec
60-64	3hrs 34min 00sec	1hrs 41min 00sec
65-69	3hrs 45min 00sec	1hrs 46min 00sec
70-74	4hrs 10min 00sec	1hrs 57min 00sec
75-79	4hrs 30min 00sec	2hrs 07min 00sec
80 and over	4hrs 55min 00sec	2hrs 15min 00sec

New York City Marathon 2025 – Women’s and Non-Binary Qualifying Times
Age Group	Marathon	Half Marathon at one of those five NYRR races
18-34	3hrs 13min 00sec	1hrs 32min 00sec
35-39	3hrs 15min 00sec	1hrs 34min 00sec
40-44	3hrs 26min 00sec	1hrs 37min 00sec
45-49	3hrs 38min 00sec	1hrs 42min 00sec
50-54	3hrs 51min 00sec	1hrs 49min 00sec
55-59	4hrs 10min 00sec	1hrs 54min 00sec
60-64	4hrs 27min 00sec	2hrs 2min 00sec
65-69	4hrs 50min 00sec	2hrs 12min 00sec
70-74	5hrs 30min 00sec	2hrs 27min 00sec
75-79	6hrs 00min 00sec	2hrs 40min 00sec
80 and over	6hrs 35min 00sec	2hrs 50min 00sec

Click here for the good-for-age section on the official website.

New York City Marathon 9 +1 Program: Guaranteed entry

Local runners have an opportunity to get a guaranteed place at the New York City Marathon by participating in the 9 +1 program.

In essence, this involves completing 9 qualifying races over the course of the year and volunteering at 1 race. To be eligible, you must hold an active NYRR membership.

There are multiple qualifier events (at various distances) over the year where you can earn a credit towards your 9 +1 – predominantly these are in-person events, however there are three virtual events available.

Alongside completing 9 races, you must also volunteer at one of the designated 9 +1 qualifiers. Tick all those boxes, and you’ll get yourself a guaranteed entry for the following year’s New York City Marathon.

Click here for more details on the official website.

Charity and tour operators

You can apply for a charity runner spot if you are not successful in the draw. The exact charities with spots available will be announced on the day of the draw, so keep your eyes peeled. Charity places will be limited so apply early to be in with a chance – click here for more details.

International runners can also get an entry via an approved Tour Operator (as listed by the NYRR website) in their home country. You can expect to pay upwards of £2000 (not including your flights), and packages sell out fast so you’ll need to book early – click here for more details.

Good luck with whichever route you are taking to apply for this year’s race!