The New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 3 with runners across the country traveling to see how fast they can run across the city’s five boroughs.
Despite next year’s race taking place over one year from now, runners still need to make sure they meet the registration requirements, which can sometimes take months to complete. With only 50,000 spots available in the marathon, here are some of the ways to ensure you’re eligible to compete.
The most common way to register is to enter “The Drawing,” which is a type of lottery system. For the 2023 marathon, 128,000 people entered the lottery but only around five percent of people earned a spot.
The Drawing normally opens during the winter months when applicants are separated into three different groups: people who live in New York City or within 60 miles of the city, US residents outside the New York City area, and non-US residents. The New York Road Runners (NYRR) then announce who has been chosen one month later.
To be selected, an applicant must provide a valid credit card with an expiration date past April 2025 and authorization to charge the entrance fee. Applicants can also provide a debit card with sufficient funds. Non-members of the NYRR will be charged $315, while members will be charged $255.
NYRR members can also participate in the “9 + 1” program, which requires runners to register for and complete nine qualifying races in 2025 and then volunteer at one event listed on the organization’s website.
Runners can also register through the New York Road Runners’ Team for Kids. This option usually requires runners to raise a currently unknown amount of money for Team for Kids, which supports community running programs. The 2025 information has not yet been released.
There is also the option to run for another charity. The New York City Marathon has been known to partner with many non-profit organizations that provide charity bibs for runners. The list of charities to sponsor for next year’s race has also not been released yet.
Some marathons require runners to compete in an earlier race within a specific time limit in order to qualify. While the New York City Marathon is not one of them, people do have the ability to override the lottery system if they achieved a qualifying time in a previous race.
An NYRR-sponsored race will receive a higher priority over other races. If a runner is submitting their time at a non-NYRR race, they must make sure the course was certified and that their results are available to find online.
If you live outside the US, some international tour operators offer packages that include race entry. The operators that participate are normally listed on the marathon’s website.
There is also an option to run the marathon virtually as runners who registered for the 2024 virtual marathon and complete the race, gain a “non-complimentary” entry to the 2025 marathon. The NYRR will also soon be releasing information on registering through being part of their Team for Climate.
People who run the New York City Marathon and finish it at least 15 times are eligible to be guaranteed entry. Runners who decided to cancel their participation in the 2024 race are also guaranteed a spot in the 2025 race.
The 2024 New York City Marathon starts at 8 am ET on Sunday, November 3. The race will begin on the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge on Staten Island and finish in Manhattan’s Central Park.
