NYC Marathon Prize Money 2026: Payouts and Bonuses
See official 2026 NYC Marathon prize money, first-place payouts and division eligibility.
NYC Marathon Prize Money 2026: Payouts and Bonuses
Race guide | Verified editorial draft | November 1, 2026
The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon offers $100,000 to the first-place finisher in each men's and women's invited professional open division. The second-place open prize is $60,000 and third place is $40,000. Professional wheelchair winners are listed at $50,000 each. Those figures describe an announced prize schedule—not money earned by a particular athlete, which depends on the final results, eligibility, and any applicable bonuses.
2026 open-division prize money
NYRR's published open division scale is: first $100,000; second $60,000; third $40,000; fourth $25,000; fifth $15,000; sixth $10,000; seventh $7,500; eighth $5,000; ninth $2,500; tenth $2,000. The schedule applies equally to the invited professional men's and women's fields. Eligibility for the open prizes requires an invited professional start, and order of finish is determined by gun time rather than a mass-field runner's chip time.
Professional wheelchair prizes
The professional wheelchair division has its own prize table, not the open running table. NYRR lists $50,000 for first, $25,000 for second, $20,000 for third, $15,000 for fourth, $10,000 for fifth, and $5,000 for sixth. Eligibility is tied to the professional wheelchair starting division and applicable organizer rules. A podium in one category should not be confused with the payout for another category.
U.S. and masters prizes are different
NYRR also publishes a USA division for eligible American professional athletes, with $25,000 for the top finisher and lower amounts for subsequent places. Its masters division applies to qualifying invited athletes aged 40 and above, starting at $3,000 for first. Some awards can be cumulative when all requirements are met, but cumulative payouts should never be assumed for an athlete based solely on the overall finishing order. Rules about nationality, age, memberships, and event starts matter.
Record bonuses and eligibility
The organizer lists a $50,000 bonus for eligible open or professional wheelchair race winners who beat the applicable event record. A tie is not enough, and this is a race-record bonus—not a general bonus for any fast marathon. The official rules also specify performance, eligibility, and timing conditions, including a requirement for eligible prize recipients to finish within 3 hours 10 minutes. Always check the latest posted schedule before calculating potential earnings.
What the prize list does not tell you
Prize tables cannot establish the 2026 winners before the race is completed. They also cannot tell you an athlete's net take-home amount after taxes, contracts, sponsor bonuses, or agents' fees. When results become official, distinguish the organizer's advertised race purse from a runner's total career earnings. The most useful comparison is within the same award category, verified against the published eligibility criteria.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the 2026 NYC Marathon winner receive?
The invited professional open-division winner receives a listed first-place prize of $100,000 for each gender category.
How much does the wheelchair winner receive?
NYRR lists $50,000 for first place in each professional wheelchair field.
Can runners earn both prize money and a record bonus?
Some eligible winners can qualify for an additional $50,000 event-record bonus when they break the relevant record; organizer conditions apply.