New York 2026: 50 years of five boroughs and three Italians

On Sunday 1 November the New York Marathon turns 50 on the course we all know, the one through the city's five boroughs. Three Italians are in the professional field, along with one number to keep in mind: 2:04:26, Iliass Aouani's Italian record, which means running every kilometre in 2:57. To watch it live, though, you need a time-zone calculation that is not the one you think.

Fifty years of five boroughs

The first edition, in 1970, was run in laps inside Central Park. In 1976, for the United States bicentennial, the race left the park and crossed the five boroughs for the first time, from Staten Island to Central Park. It was meant as a one-off celebration: it went so well that it never changed. The Verrazzano bridge, the start, opens the race, and the finish is still in Central Park.

This year also marks 50 years of the professional elite field, and among the guests is Bill Rodgers, the 1976 winner (reported by Citius Mag and the NYRR organisers). The finisher's medal celebrates the five bridges of the race.

Who runs up front

The defending champions all return. Hellen Obiri won in 2025 with the course record, 2:19:51, beating a mark that had stood for 22 years. Benson Kipruto won the men's race in 2:08:09, the same time as Alexander Mutiso, with the photo finish going his way by three hundredths of a second. Three hundredths, over 42 kilometres.

In the women's field there is also Sifan Hassan, who has the best personal best in the field at 2:13:44, and Weini Kelati making her debut over the distance. Among the men, Geoffrey Kamworor, Abdi Nageeye and the Americans Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi are listed. These are the start lists published in August: they can change until the gun.

The three Italians and a calculation that concerns you

Ours are three: Iliass Aouani and Yeman Crippa among the men, Giovanna Epis among the women. Aouani ran 2:04:26 in Tokyo on 1 March 2026, an Italian record and the first time an Italian has gone under 2:05. Epis has a personal best of 2:23:46, set in Hamburg in 2023.

To see where you would finish at your own pace, there is our marathon time calculator. And after Chicago and Kipruto's second half and the Valencia million, New York is another story: a race where position matters more than the clock.

What time to watch it

The sum is curious here. In the United States the clocks go back on Sunday 1 November at 2 a.m., while we in Italy have been on winter time since 25 October. Until Saturday the gap with New York is 5 hours; on race day it becomes 6. The times you find for the 2025 edition put the elite women at 8:35 and the elite men at 9:05, New York time: in Italy that would be 14:35 and 15:05. Careful: those are last year's times, and the source that reports them (Find Your Edge) still lists them as to be confirmed for 2026.

As for the broadcast, the organisers list an international broadcast from 8:00 to 11:30 New York time, that is 14:00 to 17:30 in Italy. Who shows it in Italy we have not verified: check the listings close to race day. If you also care about what the clock change does to your own runs, we wrote about it here: winter time, running after work.

What to really watch

You do not run New York for a record. The first mile is a bridge, the pack is thick, the course goes up and down the whole way: whoever starts too hard pays for it later, and last year's finish, settled by three hundredths of a second, shows it. That is why it is the marathon we love to watch: the one who knows how to wait wins.

Watch the first ten kilometres through Staten Island and Brooklyn, then the Queensboro and First Avenue: that is where you see who feels good. And if you have a marathon on your list, take note: our 2027 calendar also includes New York, for those who dream of running it.

Where do you stand: a marathon where the clock counts, or one where position counts? And if you watch on Sunday 1 November, what time will you set the alarm? Tell us in the comments.