On marathon Sunday last November, West Side Rag talked with West Siders who had walked into Central Park to cheer "for the vibes." It also spoke with one resident who dropped his brunch plans because getting around the neighborhood had become too hard. Both reactions make sense once you look at where the race actually touches the Upper West Side. Most of the post-race crowd ends up on the residential blocks north of the finish line.
The 2026 TCS New York City Marathon runs this Sunday, November 1. The official finish is on West Drive at West 67th Street, beside Tavern on the Green. For anyone living between 67th and 77th, though, the more useful map starts ten blocks north of that line.
The Ten Blocks North of the Finish Line
New York Road Runners' finish-area guidance sends finishers out of Central Park at West 77th Street, the block of the American Museum of Natural History. From there they head south on Central Park West inside a runners-only zone. Spectators are kept out of the park north of the finish grandstands. The standing area for the public runs from Columbus Circle to the south end of the grandstands, about 500 feet before the line. The north side of the finish is closed to the public, so the post-race flow comes out onto residential blocks.
Here is the 2026 sequence, walking south the way the runners do:
- West 77th Street. Runners leave the park and step onto Central Park West, where MarathonFoto photographs every finisher.
- West 76th, 75th and 74th Streets. These are the three exits out of the runners-only area, according to NYRR's guidance and its 2026 finish map.
- West 75th to 73rd Streets. Bags are handed back here on Central Park West until about 7 p.m. Every finisher gets a poncho whether or not they checked a bag.
- West 71st to 69th Streets. Family Reunion runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with bag inspection and screening on Columbus Avenue. Lettered signs group families by last name: A to F on West 71st, G to N on West 70th, and O to Z on West 69th.
South of that, the map shows ticketed finish-area access for spectators at West 66th Street and Broadway, plus a non-ticketed viewing entrance at West 63rd Street.
What Moved Since Last November
Most of the race is laid out as it was a year ago. NYRR's one announced course change for 2026 is a Bronx reroute after the Willis Avenue Bridge. Nothing in its published description moves the finish. On the West Side, the change that matters is where runners pick up their bags.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bag pre-check on Central Park West | West 69th to 70th Streets | West 73rd to 75th Streets |
| Bag drop-off days | Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| General wave starts | 9:10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | 9:10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. |
| Field | 59,226 finishers | "Nearly 60,000 participants" announced in March 2026 |
Last year bag pickup sat on the same two blocks as Family Reunion. Runners who checked a bag came down Central Park West, picked it up around 69th or 70th, and were already where their families were waiting. This year those two stops are four blocks apart. Bag pickup now sits between 73rd and 75th, right beside the three runners-only exits at 74th, 75th and 76th. That puts the runner-heavy stretch on the upper end of the corridor, from roughly 73rd to 77th, while 69th to 71st holds families waiting with their letter signs.
Field size points the same way. 2025 already set a record at 59,226 finishers, and NYRR described the 2026 field as nearly 60,000 when it announced a record 240,000 applications in March. Roughly the same number of people will move through a layout that now stretches farther up Central Park West.
Sunday Runs on Two Clocks
The start times in Staten Island set the schedule on Central Park West. The professional men go off at 9:05 a.m. General waves follow at 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55 and 11:30. Family Reunion opens at 11 a.m. Bag pickup lasts until about 7 p.m., and NYRR lists an official finish time of 10 p.m. With an 11:30 last wave, the corridor is still busy well into the afternoon.
NYRR's advice to families is to arrive 20 to 30 minutes after a runner's expected finish and to leave strollers and large bags at home. It also warns that the reunion area gets congested and that cell service can saturate. Its suggestion is to pick a meeting spot away from the area. For a household hosting a runner, that spot may well be the apartment. Unclaimed bags go to the NYRR RUNCENTER at 320 West 57th Street for pickup on Monday, November 2.
Friday and Saturday Are Marathon Days Too
The same blocks are busy before Sunday. Bag drop-off runs on Central Park West between 73rd and 75th on Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. So the stretch where bags are returned on Sunday also takes them in on the two days before.
- Friday, October 30. The Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations takes place at the finish line. Check-in and grandstand entry open at 4 p.m., the program starts around 4:30, and the finale is expected around 6:30. Spectators enter at Central Park West and West 63rd Street, and grandstand seats go first come, first served.
- Saturday, October 31, morning. The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K starts at 8:45 a.m. on First Avenue in front of the United Nations and finishes at the marathon finish line in Central Park.
- Saturday, October 31, evening. NYRR's Beyond the Finish Line program lists a pre-race pasta party at the American Museum of Natural History from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It overlaps with Halloween night, on the same block where runners leave the park the next day.
Put together, the area from the museum down to Columbus Circle sees race activity on three straight days, and the heaviest of it comes on Sunday afternoon.
The Official Closure Map Arrives Friday
The city's final street closures and parking restrictions for marathon weekend come out on Friday, October 30. NYC DOT says its weekend traffic advisory goes up as a preliminary version early in the week, with the final version on Friday. For Sunday subway plans on the 1, B and C, the MTA's service alerts page is the place to check closer to race day.
Until then, last year's list is the best guide. The city's 2025 closure sheet closed Central Park West from Columbus Circle to West 77th Street. It also closed Columbus Avenue and Broadway from West 59th to West 77th, with further Central Park West sections listed through West 86th. Parking was banned on Central Park West from 60th to 66th and from 74th to 96th, and on West 61st through 77th Streets between Central Park West and Broadway. West Side Rag's 2025 neighborhood list also included West 67th through 74th Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue for Family Reunion. Those are 2025 rules. Anyone who parks on the street should check Friday's DOT advisory before Saturday night.
Watching From the Other Side of the Park
Since there's no public access north of the grandstands, West Siders who want to see the race have to go south or east. NYRR names Columbus Circle as its United Airlines Zone and recommends Fifth Avenue between East 90th and East 105th Streets. West Side Rag's neighborhood viewing guide, first published in 2024 and updated in 2025, suggested Central Park South at 59th Street, a walk across the park to East Drive, or Fifth Avenue north of 90th. NYRR asks spectators to stay behind tape and barricades, keep the roadway clear, and respect building entrances.
Local businesses feel the race as well. In 2021, when the marathon returned, West Side Rag reported that Café Luxembourg on West 70th was expecting a busy day. It also reported that Malachy's on West 72nd planned to show the race on outdoor televisions. Last year the paper mentioned a Runna pop-up at Broadway and West 62nd Street. Plans for this Sunday are each business's own to announce, so a quick call ahead is the reliable way to book a table on West 70th or 72nd.
We watch how race weekend plays out on Central Park West between 69th and 77th, along with the many other details that shape life on a particular block. If you'd like to talk about the Upper West Side with someone who keeps track of it block by block, Jed Lewin, Esq. is glad to listen. Request a confidential consultation.
