NYC Marathon 2026: The Bronx route change and the road closures to expect Nov. 1

The TCS New York City Marathon returns Sunday, Nov. 1, and for the first time since 2011 the course itself is different. The change is small for runners and bigger for one corner of the Bronx.

What changes in Mott Haven

For years, runners came off the Willis Avenue Bridge and made seven turns in the Bronx, looping around a block near East 140th Street that holds a Western Beef supermarket and a 24-hour laundromat, Time Out New York reported. Closures cut off easy access to both for much of race day, especially for residents of the nearly 1,800-unit Patterson Houses across Morris Avenue.

This year the route is:

• Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx, then East 135th Street to Alexander Avenue.
• North on Alexander Avenue past East 138th Street to East 141st Street.
• Left on Third Avenue, then right on East 138th Street.
• Straight across the Madison Avenue Bridge back into Manhattan.

That cuts the Bronx section from seven turns to five, between miles 20 and 21, and leaves the supermarket and laundromat outside the course. New York Road Runners described the tweaks as "minor adjustments" meant to reduce the race's impact on the neighborhood, Time Out reported. PIX11 also cited NYRR saying the change was made to ease the effect on the surrounding community.

Road closures to expect

Drivers should plan around closures and restrictions along the 26.2-mile route, according to PIX11:

• Bridges: Verrazzano-Narrows, Pulaski, Queensboro, Willis Avenue and Madison Avenue.
• Brooklyn: Fourth Avenue, Bedford Avenue and streets in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
• Queens: streets in Long Island City.
• Manhattan: First Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Central Park South.
• The Bronx: Alexander Avenue, East 141st Street, Third Avenue and East 138th Street.

Spectators can use designated crossing points at Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street in Brooklyn and on First Avenue at East 69th, 72nd, 83rd and 86th streets, PIX11 reported.

A 50th-anniversary year

The marathon spent its first six years circling Central Park before going through all five boroughs on Oct. 24, 1976. The course still starts on Staten Island, crosses five bridges and finishes in Central Park, with about 945 feet of elevation gain, according to PIX11.