Two years ago, I stood on the New York City Marathon’s start line in Staten Island, struggling to catch much of Mayor Eric Adams’ scratchy pre-race speech. I do remember one fragment, though: “Welcome to the hottest ticket in town!”
If marathoning was hot in 2023, it’s absolutely scalding now. The World Majors continue to set participation records, and added a new city (Sydney) to their vaunted ranks in September. This spring, NYRR tallied 200,000 applications for the 2025 installment of the NYC Marathon. That represented a crazy 22% increase from the 2024 total. At this point, New York and London are simply trading places for the title of biggest marathon in the world.
Fueling the fire: a well-documented running boom. (Which, at this point, you might just call a racing boom, to accommodate the rise of HYROX, trail running and countless “unsanctioned” event series.) For instance, the night before the race, Orchard Street Runners is hosting The Prototype Race, a design-your-way, half-marathon down Manhattan’s spine, for runners in desperate need of an antidote to their racing FOMO.
Maybe the flames start to sputter one of these years. But it won’t be in 2025. There’s been a 59% increase in run club participation globally (according to Strava), continued community development from heritage and upstart running brands alike and an immense impact from the social media superstructure: YouTubers who run, podcasters who run, dating show contestants who run, etc.
In other words, a lot is swirling around this race. Too much? Has the event perhaps become too corporate or bloated? I don’t think so. Somehow, in a very New York way, the race has found a way to thrive under the brightest lights in its 54-year history. Here’s what to expect from this year, and why the first Sunday in November is still the city’s best day of the year.
1. Real Feel of 48°
This website is not your dad’s favorite Doppler, so bear with us if this forecast suddenly changes. But as of my writing, the weather gods are looking merciful: zero chance of precipitation and a high of 56°F with a “real feel” temperature of around 48°F at race time.
According to a study published back in 2012, the ideal marathon temperature is around 45°F for the median competitor. The elites prefer it even chillier (39°F). You should head here if you’re curious about the specific scientific reasons why. But suffice to say, blood flows more efficiently when you feel like you’re running in a refrigerator.
Heat has a tendency to become the main character of a race at 59°F or above. In 2022, New York had a brutally hot marathon (a record-setting 75°F day), which inhibited the elite runners and caused faints and seizures up and down the course. This year’s runners can rest easy knowing there’s little risk of that — and their socks should stay nice and dry, too.
2. The GOAT Takes on the Big Apple
Most people in the running world would agree that New York is the most important marathon. And most people, again, would agree that Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner ever — even though he no longer holds the world record in the event.
And yet, somehow, the legendary Kenyan has never raced through the five boroughs. Coming into this year, he’d competed in all of the conventional majors (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and Tokyo), and won each except Boston. From 2013 to 2020, he won every single marathon he raced. In 2022, he authored a record-setting 2:01:09 performance in Berlin.
He even ran the newest major, Sydney, before making his way over to NYC. Why the delay? Well, the Berlin Marathon is only five weeks before NYC and is considered one of the fastest courses available to record-chasing pros (along with Chicago, another flat autumnal marathon).
By contrast, NYC is extremely hilly and not really a place to set a personal best. It’s certainly a place to compete, to show up and try to win a championship. But London, a spring marathon, is closer to his home in Kenya, and typically pays him a hefty appearance fee (in the $150,000 range) and has been his go-to in that arena.
That’s not to say Kipchoge is without romance for the Big Apple. Racing in New York actually seems to mean a lot to him. “I look forward to the city’s energy, its passionate running community, and the challenge of the iconic course,” he said over the weekend. “My legacy will be complete because I will have a sixth star.”
I really like that quote, because it makes him sound like any other marathoner. He very much isn’t, of course, but that’s part of the beauty and rarity of the sport, the fact that elites and amateurs compete the same course on the same day, that together they comprise running’s connective tissue.
So, could Kipchoge win? It would be really, really cool if he did. But I wouldn’t count on it. He turns 41 this November and has had some trouble staying with the lead pack in recent years. He finished ninth at Sydney in September, sixth at London this spring and posted the first DNF of his career last year at the Olympics.
Not to mention, NYC will have an extremely talented field this year, with the defending champ Abdi Nageeye, Evans Chebet and Benson Kipruto taking out the race hard. However it shakes out, here’s hoping Kipchoge runs well and crosses the finish line at peace with his effort. He’s given the sport so much. The famous New York crowd is guaranteed to shower him with some love in return.
On the women’s side, except to see stars like Sifan Hassan, Sheila Chepkirui, Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri on the course. Emily Sisson, the first American woman to ever dip under 2:19:00, is making her long-awaited debut in New York. The ladies start at 8:35 a.m., while the gents take off at 9:05 a.m.
There’s a Better Way to Monitor Your Splits During a Marathon
Running 26.2 this fall? Put this pro tip to good use.3. Is Harry Styles Running?
Who knows? The British pop star ran Berlin under a fake name (“Sted Starandos”) and could reasonably have pulled some strings to sign up for NYC. It feels unlikely, though.
Remember: a year ago, we didn’t even know Styles liked running. This year, he’s already raced Tokyo and Berlin (logging a speedy 2:59:14 at the latter) and his legs must be pretty tired. Plus, even with all the celebrity power on the roads this Sunday, you have to imagine it’s a bigger deal (and a bit of a security risk) for him to run in the United States or at home in the United Kingdom, compared to Germany or Japan.
If he does run, I’ll be praying he falls short of my best mark in NYC (2:59:09), because I haven’t performed at MSG even once. As for other celebs to watch out for, here are some new names and usual suspects:
- Anthony Ramos, from the original cast of Hamilton, is running with Des Linden, one of the greatest runners ever
- Alexi Pappas, a prominent filmmaker and former Olympian for Greece
- Alex Cora, manager of the Boston Red Sox (what was his plan if they’d made the World Series?)
- Patina Miller, a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress
- Sam Judge, Aaron Judge’s wife, in support of KultureCity
- Nev Schulman, whom we profiled ahead of the race last year
- Lots of Peloton instructors
- A bunch of people from The Bachelor and Love Island USA
4. Brandmania
Let the activations begin. Throughout this entire week, branded events, posts, billboards, events and launches will be absolutely everywhere.
On the course, expect to see entire intersections coated in the colors and crests of whatever firm shelled out (a bank bought out a corner near my apartment last year); plus run club tents, with their flag-bearers, bagels, DJs and confetti machines; and lots of photographers/videographers shooting content for brands. Marathons have resembled fashion shows for years now, and that trend typically reaches its fever pitch in NYC.
Some highlights, if you’d like to get in on the action: Bandit, the Brooklyn-born label, is staging a pop-up at 489 Broome Street. Tracksmith has a stacked line-up: a launch party for RUNHER magazine on Friday night, a Soho pop-up at 262G Mott Street and a cheer zone at mile 12 (with pizza). HOKA is hosting a shakeout run with Citius Mag (among many other events), Saucony has a “residency” at Ludlow Coffee Supply and SOAR is throwing a party on Halloween night at the Rapha store.
Not satisfied? You can find a massive compilation of all the branded drops and events here. My feelings on the branded nature of the event are mixed, but lean positive. Obviously, these companies are trying to move product. The expo doesn’t end with the walls of the Javits Center. Still, many of them have spent years engaging with runners at the local level — sponsoring races, inventing new races, developing run clubs, springing for coffee and bagels, even just providing a safe place to stash keys and a backpack before a long run on a Saturday morning.
Also, not for nothing, many brands have invested in creative talent. Some of the better copywriting and drone-shot ads you’ll see these days have been put out by running brands — and you can tell the people creating this stuff genuinely care about the sport and its future.
5. A Special Day
It’s pretty common for New Yorkers to call this Sunday the very best day of the year. Why? For one, it’s typically jacket weather — crisp and clear, with acorns to crunch underfoot. Our shoulder seasons don’t last very long, so everyone’s in a good mood. Plus, everyone’s here. Back from months of travel, hunkering down for the holidays and winter ahead.
But it feels like the whole world is here, too. In a good way — pausing our typical grumbling about tourists, we search for international flags on runners’ shirts and cheer harder. Welcome, welcome. You got this. In 2024, the NYC Marathon generated $692 million in economic impact for the city. The hotels are full. People who come here to run also need to eat. They often stick around to see a museum.
The charitable impact is also staggering. Last year, runners set a new record, raising $70 million for 662 official charity partners. That’s money for cancer research, mental health services, youth programs, environmental initiatives, and on and on. Expect that figure to stretch even higher this year. At a time when philanthropy is trending down, it’s vital that an event like this not only exists but is gaining steam.
And even as the NYC Marathon changes — as it gets bigger, as more brands elbow their way in, as runners start to find it impossible to get in — I take some consolation in the fact that standing along those roads, watching everyone go by, feels the same. A friend of mine has been going for a decade and she says she can’t watch it — absolute strangers cheering for people trying their best — without crying at least once. It’s a day of empathy and awe. And beer. I’m expecting the waterworks to continue.
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