These Are Essential Training Tips If You’re Running The New York City Marathon!

发布时间：2026-01-11 04:02

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If you’re running the New York City Marathon then you need to know these training tips, including how to prepare for the hills (because this isn’t a flat marathon!) and how you can run a PR around the five boroughs.

Learn what makes New York City a difficult marathon course (but also one of the most fun races!) Discover the training you need to do to succeed in the New York City Marathon Get physically and mentally ready to run a great marathon in New York City!

HERE ARE THE TIPS YOU NEED TO TRAIN FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

The New York City Marathon takes place in early November each year. It’s the last of the year’s seven Abbott World Marathon Majors.

The New York City Marathon is an iconic route, but a tough one with many hills. It’s often regarded as the race with the best crowd support and around two million people come out to cheer the runners on.

Before we share our top training tips, here’s our ultimate guide to the New York City Marathon, and check out Anna running the New York City Marathon to see what you can expect!

WHEN SHOULD YOU START TRAINING FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON?

The New York City Marathon takes place on the first Sunday in November. We recommend allowing at least 16 weeks to train for a marathon. That means you should start training for the New York City Marathon by mid-July.

The first training tip is to focus on ‘base training’, which means gradually increasing your weekly mileage, and then as the New York City Marathon is a hilly course, we recommend regularly running on hills – it can be a good habit to find hilly routes for many of your easy runs and long runs during New York City Marathon training. Don’t overlook this: hills will get you stronger and fitter than running on the flat.

WHAT IS THE NEW YORK MARATHON COURSE LIKE?

The New York City Marathon is a point-to-point course which takes runners around the city’s five boroughs, from Staten Island into Brooklyn then Queens, over to Manhattan, up into the Bronx, then back down to finish in Central Park in Manhattan.

IS THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON HILLY?

The New York City Marathon is a hilly route with 810ft (246m) of elevation gain and 824ft (251m) of descent. That’s more than three-times the elevation of the Chicago Marathon (243ft / 74m), which is one of the fastest marathons in the world.

But don’t fear the hills! They are rarely steep and the New York City Marathon isn’t exactly a mountain race. The hills are steady and rarely above 3% grade. They only feel more challenging because you’re in the middle of a marathon.

The longest hills come when crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (the start of the race) and the Queensboro Bridge (15 miles/24km), but there are constant elevation changes throughout the race, plus a notorious mile-long incline coming at 37k.

While the hills may be tough, the New York City Marathon balances that by having incredible crowd support throughout the race (except, perhaps ironically, on the bridges). The cheering crowds of supporters can be a significant boost, helping runners push on when the race gets tough.

The New York City Marathon route has several key hilly sections for runners to contend with, but the constant crowd support is a huge boost when things get tough. Don’t be daunted by the race: lots of runners achieve a personal best at the New York City Marathon.

Runners on the Verrazzano -Narrows Bridge during the New York City Marathon

Photo by Craig T Fruchtman/Getty Images

WHAT TRAINING CAN HELP PREPARE YOU FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON?

Do easy runs and long runs on hilly routes whenever you can. That’s going to be the best practise to learn to be comfortable with going both uphill and downhill. Adding hills to your runs from early in your block is our top training tip for the NYC Marathon. Doing hill reps is going to be really beneficial. Adding short fast reps, like hill strides, will be a significant help. Don’t underestimate these: you might only do 4-6 x 30 seconds uphill, but there’s a lot of bang for your buck in them! Do them once or twice a week. The final incline is around one mile long (1600m). It averages just over a 2% gradient, but that feels steeper so late in the race. Find a long steady hill and practise doing longer reps at race effort or goal pace. Run up hard, rest for a minute or two, then run downhill hard as well. Repeat a few times. Try to run hills on tired legs. A good way to do this is to finish your long run with a hilly section. Get your body and mind prepared to run up when you’re already tired.

HOW DO YOU MENTALLY PREPARE FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON?

A big part of success in a marathon comes from your run training, but it’s also important to be mentally prepared for the race.

Be prepared for the morning journey to the start of the race. The race begins on Staten Island, so you will likely need to leave your accommodation several hours before the race starts. Plan your route and know the food and drink you’ll need during that time. Think positive! If you’re aiming for a personal best then the New York City Marathon is a great place to run fast. Sure it’s got some hills, but it’s not that hilly, and none of the hills are anything to worry about. Pace yourself sensibly, train well to run on hills on tired legs, and stand on the start line knowing that you can run the time you want. The crowd are loud and on the whole route. Use them to your advantage and to give you a boost. Put your name on your shirt so people can cheer for you. But if you find the crowds a little intense then consider wearing headphones to focus on your own race. Don’t worry about your pace in the first 5k. You’ve got to go up and over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, then there’s another steady uphill soon after. Focus on effort and not overdoing it. Running a blazing second kilometre might mean you burnout before the 42nd kilometre! The elites often target the Queensboro Bridge as the place where the race really begins. There’s a steady downhill, then a long flat section along First Ave where the crowd support rises considerably. But don’t get over-excited. Mile 23 (37k) features a mile-long uphill section right when you don’t want it.

FAQS ON THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

Is New York City the hardest Marathon Major?
We’ve ranked the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors and think that Sydney Marathon is the most challenging because it has the most hills (and a very early start time). We think New York is the fifth hardest of the Majors.

When can you apply for the New York City Marathon?
Most people enter a lottery to run the New York City Marathon. The lottery typically opens in February ahead of that year’s race (which takes place in November).

How hilly is the New York City Marathon?
Overall the NYC Marathon has 810ft (246m) of elevation gain, and almost the same descent, so it is a hilly race. The main hills come as you go over the bridges which connect the five boroughs of New York City. There’s also a hilly section near Central Park at the end of the race. But the New York City Marathon still has great PR potential for runners given the unrivalled crowd support.

TL;DR ON TRAINING FOR THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

You need to run on hills – ideally at marathon effort – to help prepare you for the bridges and the uphill sections near the end of the New York City Marathon (basically just run on hills as often as possible as they’ll help you get fitter and stronger). You should also psychologically prepare yourself for a busy race and the best crowd support of any marathon in the world.