The New York Marathon takes place on the first Sunday in November. Created in 1970, the race is run over a distance of almost 43 km. Thousands of runners, amateurs and professionals alike, set off across the city. Unforgettable images will flash before their eyes: the Queensboro Bridge, the Manhattan skyline, 5th Avenue, Central ParkIf you're like them and want to try your hand at the next edition of the New York Marathon, here's what you need to know before you take the plunge. Read this article carefully, because taking part in the New York Marathon is a long-term operation, and sometimes a bit of a marathon itself!
Get there early
The rule of thumb for registering for the New York Marathon is to get in early. At least a year to a year and a half in advance! In fact, there are often several stages to go through before registering.
Choose your registration method
There are 3 ways to register for the New York Marathon
- the lottery: as you may know, Americans are fond of the lottery system (we talked about it recently in connection with the green card, for example), but unfortunately the number of registrations is so large that the number of lucky winners is very small. Even in recent years, the number of lucky ones has been getting smaller and smaller, and this is the only way to register if you really want to come and run the marathon. The chances of obtaining a place using this system are estimated at less than 20%!
- good times in previous marathons: places are reserved for athletes who have achieved good times in recent editions of major international marathons. Here again, unless you're a professional or a top-level athlete, the chances of achieving a qualifying time are very slim indeed.
- The third solution is often the one chosen by the majority of French people wishing to take part in the New York Marathon, but there's no mystery about it: you'll have to use the cash drawer! Some French travel agencies are authorized to sell packages that include the right to register for and take part in the New York Marathon. The average price of such a package is $2,000 per person, including travel, 4 nights' hotel accommodation and race number. Even so, there's no guarantee that you'll get a place quickly. As places are also limited, they are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're interested in the 2019 edition, you should know... that places are already sold out!
Remember, above all, that the New York Marathon is over 42 kilometers of running, and you'll need to go the distance. So don't forget to train.
