The New York City Marathon is the largest and most challenging course among the six World Marathon Majors (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City). The course starts with a steep ascent up the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge followed by a steep descent down to Brooklyn. Although the bridge is the biggest “hill” on the course, the remaining miles provide runners little respite. Rolling hills and additional bridge crossings challenge marathoners all the way through the last winding miles through Central Park.
Smart, conservative pacing (especially early in the race) can make the difference in feeling great as you enter Central Park or suffering the dreaded “marathon shuffle” during the last stretch. Moreover, composure and patience are crucial attributes in a successful race through the five boroughs.
There is no better way to enjoy the marathon than to run a well-executed race that leaves you exhilarated at the finish line. In this article, we’ll provide a breakdown of the course as well as tips to ensure that you correctly pace yourself to a great New York City Marathon finish.
Breaking Down the Course
Breaking Down the Course The New York City Marathon course is best divided into five sections. The length of each section varies and each presents distinct physical and mental challenges. We’ll describe what to expect in each section as well as provide pacing strategies and common pitfalls.
- Start-Mile 2: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Mile 2
- Mile 2-16: Brooklyn & Queens
- Mile 16-20: First Avenue
- Mile 20-23: Bronx and Fifth Avenue
- Mile 23-Finish: The Last 5K
Start – Mile 2: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
After waiting at the staging area for hours and then standing in your corral in anticipation of running the largest marathon in the world, your adrenaline is likely flowing as the starting gun is fired. You’ve put it months of hard training and you are ready to run. However, don’t let your body dictate your pace over this two-mile opening stretch. With the thousands of other runners around you, it is difficult to create a frame of reference for the course profile ahead. This, coupled with the adrenaline rush and your fresh, tapered legs makes the first uphill section on the bridge not seem as steep as it actually is. Be cautious – many races have come apart due to poor race management during this early part of the New York City Marathon
Depending on how far back you are in your wave, you will likely be in one of two scenarios. If you are near the front, you may be able to open up your stride and reach your goal pace fairly quickly. If you are in this group, you will see lots of runners passing you. Do not accept their invitation to go with them. Likely, you’ll see them in the late stages of the race, hobbling to the finish because of their over-aggressive pace in these first two crucial miles.
If you are farther back in the wave, you will likely walk over the start line or start to slowly shuffle due to the thousands of runners in front of you. Don’t panic. You can benefit from this forced slowdown. Similar to the runners in the previous group, you’ll see runners pass you as they waste energy weaving in and out of the crowds in a panic to pick up their pace. Resist the temptation to join them and just let them go. The wasted energy used to gain only a few dozen yards will be sorely missed later.
Your goal during the first 0.8 miles to the high point of the bridge is to remain relaxed and not push the pace. Once you reach the top, you’ll need to resist the temptation to speed down the downhill portion to make up any time lost off your goal pace. If you do find yourself behind your goal pace remember that you have 24+ miles to slowly get back on track. Don’t try to make it all up in the next few miles.
Mile 2-16: Brooklyn & Queens
The Brooklyn and Queens section is the longest part of our course analysis. You’ll spend eleven miles in Brooklyn and a few memorable miles in Queens. This section consists of a few smaller hills and two bridge crossings. None of them are particularly steep or long (except the last bridge), but the elevation changes will keep coming throughout this section and set the tone for the rest of the race.
As you come down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and enter Brooklyn, you’ll be immediately greeted by very large, cheering crowds. You realize quickly that you’re not just running a race, you are smack in the middle of a spectacle in perhaps the greatest race in the world. Resist the temptation to respond to the crowds with an adrenaline-fueled surge in pace. Others around you will let pride get the best of them, puffing out their chest and quickening their pace. Unfortunately, like those charging up and down the bridge at the start, they will pay the price later in the race.
Keep the effort even and comfortable through Brooklyn. Don’t surge up the hills or sprint down the back sides. Think about even effort. If you found yourself behind pace after the first couple of miles of the race, start taking small bits of time (just a few seconds each mile) out of that deficit during this section. You can still make up a minute on your finish time by adjusting your goal pace by 2.5 seconds per mile from here. If you are behind your goal pace by more than a minute entering Brooklyn, you may want to stick to your goal pace the rest of the way and adjust your finish time goal accordingly. Sometimes we can’t control the logistics of large races and have to adjust goals accordingly.
You’ll be most challenged by two bridges and one hill in this section. The first is a half mile long hill on Lafayette Avenue from mile 8 to 8.5 that rises approximately 50 feet. The next “hill” is the Pulaski Bridge at just about the halfway point of the race. It also rises about 50 feet from the base at about a 3.5% slope.
The most significant incline you’ll face is the Queensboro Bridge at the end of this section. The elevation gain from the bridge and the incline leading up to it is 120 feet over just short of a mile. Once you enter the bridge, it will be eerily quiet since no spectators are allowed here. However, it won’t be silent for long.
The Queensboro Bridge is another area where runners (many of them New York City Marathon veterans) push the pace too hard and too early. Many runners who have run New York before subconsciously pick up the pace here in anticipation of what they know is on the other side. Stick to your pre-race pacing goal and enjoy the relative calmness before the storm.
Mile 16-20: First Avenue
After running over the Queensboro Bridge and coming onto First Avenue, you’ll once again be met with enormous cheering crowds. The noise will seem to be amplified after the relative silence of the Queensboro Bridge. Remember, the masses of spectators are cheering for you, but not cheering for you to ruin your race. Enjoy the experience of coming off the bridge, hearing the crowds and seeing the mass of fellow runners, but remain calm and control your pace – you still have 10 miles to go.
First Avenue is another danger zone. Along the approximately 3.5 mile section are huge crowds (they do thin as you get closer to the Bronx). In addition, most of this section is slightly downhill or flat. Again, composure and patience will get your through this part of the course. There is still a lot of course to cover, so don’t push hard yet.
You’ve got a long,straight stretch through this section. Since there are few turns and it is downhill to flat, it’s a great time to get into a rhythm and maintain your pace. If you still are making up small bits of time from a slow start, continue this strategy along this section. Let the crowds push you through, but not too much. If your legs are starting to feel heavy, it may be time to drop down to goal pace instead. You’ll need the energy for the last 10K.
Mile 20-23: Bronx and Fifth Avenue
The challenge of the New York City Marathon starts here. If you’ve controlled your pace and resisted charging up and down the 20 previous miles of hills and bridges, you will be ready to tackle the remaining two sections of the course.
You won’t spend much time in the Bronx, but the time you do spend is different from the last few miles spent on the loud, straight, downhill First Avenue. The crowds will thin (but are still very enthusiastic) as you cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx. You’ll experience some more rollers (of course) and one more bridge crossing (138th St. Bridge) leaving the Bronx. You’ll need to stay focused here as the crowd and terrain changes. A lot of spirits have been broken along this mentally challenging section.
After you leave the Bronx via the 138th St. Bridge, you’ll face a very gradual uphill as you race down Fifth Avenue toward Central Park. The incline is slight, but can make you feel sluggish on tired legs. Make sure that you leave some fuel in the tank for the last 5K.
Mile 23-Finish: The Last 5K
The last 5K of the New York City Marathon takes runners along Fifth Avenue and through the rolling hills of Central Park. The crowds will swell as you navigate the last inclines. It’s time to be mentally tough and make your final push. It’s also time to soak in the spectacle that makes the New York City Marathon one of the most special race experiences you’ll ever have
Luckily the longest of the hills here is also the first. Starting about a quarter mile before mile 23, this hill rises approximately 80 feet, cresting just past mile 23.5. Really, it is not that steep. However, at this stage in the race, it is generally considered the toughest hill on the course and can seem like climbing a mountain.
After this hill, the course has a few smaller, but challenging, hills to the finish. If you’re capable, finish strong and pick up the pace the last few miles. Ride the enthusiasm of the spectators to the finish. If you are struggling to maintain your pace, try some of the mental exercises below to help you get through to the finish.
Strategies to Help Get You Through the Last Few Miles
As with any marathon, the last few miles can be tough physically and mentally. You’ve been running for hours, your legs are heavy, and it takes more physical effort to maintain your pace. Your mind keeps telling you how easy it would be to slow down, walk, or even quit.
It can be beneficial to play mind games to get you through the last few miles. We’ve detailed a few strategies to not only get you though the last stages of the New York City Marathon, but other races as well.
- I Promise: Choose a landmark down the course (a light pole, tree, volunteer, etc.) and make a deal with yourself that you will maintain your pace until you at least reach that point. Once you reach it, immediately choose another landmark and maintain your pace to that one as well. Keep breaking the remaining distance into these small segments and vow to keep your pace just until you reach them. This strategy can help break the course down into smaller achievable segments when faced with the enormity of the last few miles.
- Roping the Competition: Tie an imaginary rope to a runner a few yards in front of you and pretend to pull yourself up to them. Once you reach them, put a surge in and pass them with purpose. Then tie that imaginary rope to another person in front of you and pull yourself up to them. By “pulling” yourself to them, you mentally move toward them and down the course closer to the finish. The more you can use your imagination to dissociate, (lasso runners, slingshot between two, etc.) the less your focus is on your suffering.
- Hill Chopping: If you find that the last few hills are getting the better of you, try to “chop” them down. When you come to a hill, don’t focus on the top of the hill. Stare 10-15 feet in front of you. Shorten your stride and increase your cadence a little as if you were “chopping” at the hill. By keeping your focus away from the top and changing your focus to your stride and cadence, the hill will come down a lot faster.
- Home Course Advantage: Think about your training runs. For example, if you have two more miles to go in the race and are thinking about how far that seems, imagine the last two miles your most common training run course. The image of those familiar last two miles (and how easy they usually are during training) can help lessen the dreadful thoughts of how long the last two miles of a marathon can seem.
Developing a Pacing Strategy
On race day, running the correct pace is the single most important factor in achieving your goal time. This is especially true for the New York City Marathon given the challenging course. Surprisingly, many runners line up on race day without a solid race plan or a way to follow it. Why put in months of dedicated training only to waste it by not planning your marathon pacing strategy?
Developing a good marathon pacing strategy is often difficult for both new and experienced runners. Fortunately, we’ve done the work for you with our New York City Marathon Pace Bands. We’ve analyzed the course terrain for the New York City Marathon and created pacing strategies based on peer reviewed research, advice from running experts, and analysis of the actual race paces from runners who have successfully met their time goal on the course.
You can tailor your course-specific New York City Marathon Pace Band with your Start and Pacing Strategy and Goal Time and we’ll provide you with the mile-by-mile (or km-by-km) recommended paces. There is also an option to put the course elevation profile on the back of the band to ensure you know what the course looks like ahead.
Whether you are looking to set a Personal Record, qualify for the Boston Marathon, or just have an enjoyable marathon experience, our course breakdown, pacing strategies, and common pitfalls can help you achieve your goal. Enjoy the race – there are few that can match the experience of running the New York City Marathon.
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