The New York City Marathon is the world’s largest marathon. It is an annual 26.2-mile marathon that traverses New York City’s five boroughs. The marathon always takes place on the first Sunday of November.
Marathon History
The marathon is one of the preeminent annual long-distance running events in the United States, along with the Boston Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. After its headline sponsor Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the race is currently called the “TCS New York City Marathon.” Along with the marathons in Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, it is also one of the World Marathon Majors.
On September 13, 1970, the New York Road Runners organized the first New York City Marathon in Central Park. It had an entry fee of $1 and a budget of $1,000. The first ever race had 55 finishers out of the 127 registered runners.
The 1976 New York City Marathon takes place in the five boroughs of New York City to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States. It had 2,090 entrants and 1,549 finishers. The race made international news.
In 1981, ABC-TV first aired coverage of the New York City Marathon. The national broadcasts continued through 1993.
2000’s To Present
In 2000, the event included the first-ever wheelchair division. The following year it added prize money for it. In 2001, the race took place less than two months after the September 11 attacks. It symbolized hope and recovery for a devastated city and nation.
In 2002, NYRR Team for Kids was launched as a group of adult runners raising funds for NYRR youth and community programs. In 2003, global financial services firm ING became the first title sponsor of the New York City Marathon.
The New York City Marathon became part of the World Marathon Majors in 2006. Tokyo is the last to become a part of the group in 2013. In 2014, Abbott became the series title sponsor.
There are only two instances when the marathon was canceled: in 2012 and 2020. In 2012, thousands of runners participated in relief and recovery operations around the city in honor of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In 2020, it became a virtual event, taking place from October 17 to November 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Sunday, November 6, the 2022 New York City Marathon took place. Check out the details and winners of the marathon here.
Words from Experience Marathon Runners
Have you ever run a marathon? Here are some words from experienced marathon runners:
Annie Frisbie, seventh-finisher of the 2021 New York City Marathon for the women’s race, underestimated how loud the audience would be. “I definitely did get a little bit too much adrenaline at certain parts of the race. What I learned from that is just don’t get too excited when there’s really loud parts on the course, and really try to save that energy because you’re going to need it those last six miles.” She is an elite runner who competes for Minnesota Distance Elite.
Amby Burfoot, the 1968 Boston Marathon champion and Runner’s World former executive editor, did not believe in mantras in his early years. “The race is so much of a mental challenge, as well as a physical challenge,” Burfoot said. “So I tell people to have their mantras figured out in advance and have them rehearsed and ready to go when you need them.”
What do you feel about running the world’s largest marathon? Do you plan on participating in the race for 2023? Let us know in the comments!
