How to Get Into the NYC Marathon

More than 240,000 people applied for the 2026 New York City Marathon drawing, and about one percent of them got in (NYRR). That’s the route most runners picture when they think about running New York, and it’s now the longest shot on the board. The race still puts close to 60,000 people on the Verrazzano every November, so most of the field gets there another way.

New York Road Runners offers more than a dozen entry methods, and most of them are guaranteed if you meet the requirement. This guide walks through each one for the 2027 race on November 7, 2027, what it actually takes, and which ones make sense depending on where you live and how fast you run.

The drawing

The non-guaranteed drawing is free to enter. For the 2026 race, applications ran for three weeks, February 4 to 25, and results came out March 4 (NYRR). NYRR hasn’t announced the 2027 dates yet (NYRR), but the application typically opens in February with the drawing in early March (Outside).

The odds have collapsed as demand has climbed. Applications went from roughly 128,000 for the 2023 race to 240,000 for 2026, and the acceptance rate fell from around 5% to around 1% over the same stretch (Marathon Ballot). At one percent, applying every year is still worth doing because it costs nothing, but it can’t be the plan.

The member second-chance drawing. If you’re an NYRR member and miss in the main drawing, you’re automatically entered into a member-only second drawing. For 2026, about 24,000 members were in it and up to 2% were accepted (NYRR). To qualify, your membership has to be active the day before the drawing application opens and stay active through drawing day (NYRR). It roughly doubles a member’s odds, which is a real improvement on a small number.

Time qualifiers

New York has qualifying standards like Boston, but they work in two very different ways depending on where you run the time. The window for the 2027 race is calendar year 2026, your age group is based on your age on November 7, 2027, and NYRR uses net (chip) time (NYRR).

Source: NYRR. Half marathon times only count when run at an NYRR half.

At an NYRR race, the standard is a guarantee. Hit your time at one of five 2026 NYRR races (the NYC Half, the Maybelline Women’s Half, the Brooklyn Half, the Staten Island Half or the New York City Marathon itself) and you can claim guaranteed entry during the claim period (NYRR). There’s no cutoff on top of the standard. This is the only place in the system where running fast simply gets you in.

Anywhere else, the standard only gets you an application. NYRR sets aside a limited number of places for runners who meet the standard at a certified full marathon it doesn’t organize, and if more people apply than there are places, it takes the fastest in each age and gender group (NYRR). For 2026, NYRR accepted only the top 10% of those applicants, which meant beating your standard by at least 22 minutes and 52 seconds (NYRR). The year before, the margin was 13:20, and the 2026 number works out to just under 2:30 for men 18 to 34 and close to 2:50 for women in the same group (Runner’s World, via Briefly).

That’s a sub-elite bar, and it’s worth knowing before you build a season around it. If you apply and miss, you’re placed in the general drawing automatically, so applying costs you nothing (NYRR). Half marathon times from non-NYRR races don’t count, and neither do GPS-watch times; the result has to be verifiable on the race’s own results page.

How this compares with Boston. The standards look close, but they aren’t the same. A man aged 18 to 34 needs 2:55 for Boston and 2:53 for New York, and the Boston cutoff for 2027 was 5:17 under standard, against the 22:52 New York required from outside races for 2026 (Boston Marathon Qualifying Times, Decoded). A comfortable BQ is nowhere near a New York qualifier unless you ran it at an NYRR race.

The 9+1 program

For runners who live in or near the city, 9+1 is the most dependable way in. NYRR members who run nine qualifying NYRR races and volunteer at one event in a calendar year earn guaranteed entry to the following year’s marathon. If you’re completing 9+1 in 2026, nothing has changed: you’ll claim guaranteed entry to the 2027 race (NYRR).

The 2027 program, for the 2028 race, works differently. Demand for NYRR races and volunteer slots got heavy enough that NYRR moved 9+1 behind a free, member-only eligibility drawing. Members had to be active by September 16, 2026, entered between September 17 and 29, and the drawing ran October 1, 2026. Members selected became 9+1 Passholders for a $99 fee and now have to finish their nine races and one volunteer shift in 2027 (NYRR). NYRR says the change preserves the chance for more than 15,000 local runners a year to earn entry this way.

The practical takeaway: if you missed the 2026 Pass drawing, 9+1 can’t get you into the 2028 race. If you’re local and planning further out, watch for the next Pass drawing in September 2027.

Charity

The Official Charity Partner Program is the biggest guaranteed route for everyone else. For 2026, NYRR expanded it to more than 670 charities, and in 2025 more than 14,000 charity runners raised a record $80 million (NYRR). The 2027 partners will be announced in spring 2027 (NYRR).

Each charity sets its own commitment. Among the partners Marathon Ballot tracks, minimums run from about $3,000 to $6,500 or more (Marathon Ballot), and Team Children’s Aid, for one, asked 2026 runners to raise at least $4,000 by September 1 and pay the race registration fee on top (Children’s Aid). Most charity applications open after drawing results come out and close by April (Marathon Ballot), so it pays to have two or three picked out before March.

NYRR’s own youth charity, Team for Kids, is a separate guaranteed route with coaching and a training platform included (NYRR).

Every other guaranteed route

International tour operators. If you’re not a full-time US resident, you can book a travel package with guaranteed entry through one of NYRR’s official operators, which numbered more than 100 across 50 countries for 2026 (NYRR). Packages include a hotel, a flight or both, operators can’t sell entry on its own, and anyone not on the official list isn’t approved (TCS New York City Marathon).

Virtual guaranteed entry. Runners selected for and finishing the 2026 Virtual TCS New York City Marathon guaranteed-entry tier earn guaranteed entry to the 2027 race (NYRR). It’s one of the few routes that doesn’t require living in New York, running a sub-elite time or fundraising.

Team for Climate. Runners who join NYRR’s sustainability team get guaranteed entry. Applications for 2026 opened in April (NYRR), and 2027 dates haven’t been announced.

Philanthropic membership, 15+ finishers and cancellations. NYRR members at the 5K and 10K philanthropic levels get guaranteed entry. So does anyone who has finished 15 New York City Marathons, and so do 2026 entrants who canceled under the cancellation guidelines and meet the eligibility rules (NYRR).

Which route fits you

The common thread is that the drawing belongs in everyone’s plan and nobody’s only plan. If New York is a goal race, pick a guaranteed route a year out and work backward from it. Building a Better Race Calendar covers how to build a season around one race like this.

The 2027 timeline

• Through December 31, 2026: the time-qualifier window for the 2027 race.

• February 2027 (expected): drawing applications, non-NYRR time-qualifier applications and guaranteed-entry claims, if NYRR follows the 2026 pattern.

• Early March 2027 (expected): drawing and second-chance drawing results.

• Spring 2027: Official Charity Partners announced.

• November 7, 2027: race day.

Sources: NYRR, NYRR

For 2026, the non-NYRR time-qualifier window was only one week, February 4 to 11, inside the longer drawing window. The NYC Marathon page on the Race Calendar tracks each of these dates with its source, and subscribing puts them on your calendar and updates them as soon as NYRR announces 2027 registration.

Getting ready once you’re in

Most runners find out they’re in by early March and have about eight months until race day, which is enough for a full base phase before an 18-week build. How to Choose a Marathon Training Plan walks through Higdon, Pfitzinger and FIRST, The Long Run Decoded covers the workout the course will test hardest, and Trust the Work covers the taper and race week.

FAQ

What are the odds of getting into the NYC Marathon through the lottery?

About one percent for the 2026 race, when more than 240,000 people applied. NYRR members who miss get a second chance in a member-only drawing, where up to 2% were accepted.

When does the 2027 NYC Marathon lottery open?

NYRR hasn’t announced the dates. For the 2026 race, the drawing ran February 4 to 25, 2026, with results on March 4.

What are the NYC Marathon qualifying times?

For the 2027 race, the marathon standard for runners aged 18 to 34 is 2:53:00 for men and 3:13:00 for women and non-binary runners, with half marathon standards of 1:21:00 and 1:32:00. Half marathon times only count at an NYRR half.

Does a qualifying time guarantee entry?

Only if you ran it at an eligible NYRR race. Qualifying times from other marathons are ranked, and for 2026 only applicants who beat their standard by at least 22:52 were accepted.

How much does it cost to run the NYC Marathon?

Outside lists the entry fee as $255 for NYRR members, $315 for non-members and $358 for international runners (Outside). Charity entries add a fundraising commitment on top, usually several thousand dollars.

Can I enter the drawing and apply as a time qualifier?

Yes. If your non-NYRR qualifying time doesn’t make the cut, NYRR places you in the general drawing automatically.