What Time Does the NYC Marathon Start in 2026? All Wave Times
Official November 1, 2026 NYC Marathon start times, from wheelchair races and elite fields through Wave 5, plus corral guidance.
What Time Does the NYC Marathon Start in 2026? All Wave Times
Race guide | Verified editorial draft | November 1, 2026
The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon takes place Sunday, November 1. The first scheduled start is the men's professional wheelchair division at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); the first mass-participation wave starts at 9:10 a.m., and Wave 5 begins at 11:30 a.m. The clock changes from daylight saving time to standard time overnight, so race morning uses EST. These are organizer-published start times, not a promise that each athlete will cross the line at exactly that moment.
2026 NYC Marathon start times by division
The scheduled sequence is 8:00 a.m. men's professional wheelchair; 8:02 a.m. women's professional wheelchair; 8:22 a.m. handcycles and select athletes with disabilities; 8:35 a.m. professional women's open division; and 9:05 a.m. professional men's open division. The five mass-participation starts follow at 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55, and 11:30 a.m. respectively. All times are in New York local time on November 1, which is EST (UTC-5). Don't read the race's headline 8 a.m. start as the starting time for every runner.
When do the corrals open and close?
The published Wave 1 corral window opens at 8:10 and closes at 8:45 a.m.; Wave 2 opens 9:05 and closes 9:25; Wave 3 opens 9:45 and closes 10:00; Wave 4 opens 10:25 and closes 10:40; and Wave 5 opens 11:00 and closes 11:15. These windows are earlier than the respective starting guns. Plan around the corral deadline printed for your wave, allow security and staging time, and follow on-site announcements if organizers change procedures.
How to find your own start wave
Registered runners should check their NYRR dashboard, confirmation materials, and assigned bib or runner guide. Start assignments are not the same as the professional field's start time. Wave and corral placement helps organizers spread thousands of athletes across the course; runners should not switch to an earlier wave simply because it suits their travel plan. Spectators tracking a friend need the friend's assigned wave and actual start-line crossing time rather than a single citywide start time.
What daylight saving time means on November 1
New York's clocks fall back one hour before the 2026 marathon begins. That means the schedule above is not in Eastern Daylight Time. If watching from another time zone, convert from EST, not EDT. Phones that update automatically should show the correct local time, but a manually configured watch or travel alarm might not. Checking the time zone the evening before is a simple way to avoid a morning mistake.
Gun time, chip time, and the finish
The start gun determines an official division start, while a runner's net or chip time generally begins as the runner crosses the start timing mat. A participant at the back of a large wave can have a different actual start-line crossing time from the printed gun time. This matters when estimating when a loved one reaches an aid station or Central Park. Verify the runner's actual progress in the organizer's tracking tools rather than guessing from wave number alone.
Frequently asked questions
What time is Wave 1 of the NYC Marathon 2026?
Wave 1 is scheduled for 9:10 a.m. EST on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
What is the last NYC Marathon starting wave?
Wave 5 is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. EST; its corrals close earlier.
Does the NYC Marathon start at 8 a.m. for everyone?
No. The first wheelchair division starts at 8:00 a.m.; individual runners use their assigned wave time.