New York City Marathon Course Description

The Start

You'll begin with an uphill mile to the midpoint of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; mile 2 is an equivalent downhill. Be patient here: The start is exhilarating, but needless to say, there's a long way to go.

Brooklyn

You'll have five flat, straight miles on Fourth Avenue. From mile 3 on, there's an aid station every mile supplying Poland Spring® Brand Natural Spring Water and Gatorade Endurance Formula. The three courses converge at the 8-mile mark, near the Brooklyn Academy of Music. You'll hit the halfway point and cross the Pulaski Bridge into Queens.

Course changes: At mile 8, you'll veer left onto Flatbush Avenue, then turn right onto Lafayette Avenue. Near mile 11, a dogleg turn has been removed; the straightened course goes through scenic McCarren Park.

Queens

Course change: Near mile 14, a hairpin turn off the Pulaski Bridge has been removed. You'll continue north and take a wider left on 48th Street. Another dogleg has been removed from 44th Drive. At mile 15, you'll reach the Queensboro Bridge. It's a challenging uphill and a steep downhill to a right turn onto First Avenue, where you'll be welcomed to Manhattan by the largest, loudest crowds on the course.

Manhattan

Keep your energy in check -- you still have 10 miles to run. At 17 miles, you'll reach the Poland Spring Hydration Zone, with water and sponges; at 18 is the PowerBar Gel Zone, with PowerBar Gels for an energy boost. You'll reach the 20-mile mark on the Willis Avenue Bridge to the
Bronx.

Bronx

Course change: From 138th Street, you'll turn right onto Morris Avenue, then left, then left again, then right, to add a few blocks and raise the total Bronx mileage by about a third of a mile.
Manhattan

You'll leave the Bronx via the Madison Avenue Bridge. You'll navigate around Marcus Garvey Park at mile 22, then continue south on Fifth Avenue toward Central Park. Be prepared for a moderate one-mile climb to the park entrance at 90th Street.

Central Park to the Finish

The final 2.5 miles include rolling hills that will challenge your tired legs. After making a right turn onto Central Park South, you'll run a half-mile to Columbus Circle, reenter the park, and pass grandstands of spectators in the final quarter-mile. It's slightly uphill, but your spirits will be soaring as you prepare to cross the finish line and become part of New York history.

You can view a larger version of the map on line at:

http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM09_Map_Large_Rev_100909.pdf