New York City Marathon 2023: It’s Marathon Day in New York City and the race is underway

Staten Island

The marathon starts here, but runners line up on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and run across it to Brooklyn once the race starts, so there’s no place for people to cheer.

Some Staten Islanders are posting encouraging signs in their yards in case buses carrying runners pass by from the ferry terminal.

Brooklyn

After coming off the bridge, the runners begin a long uphill stretch Fourth Avenue. The nearest subway stop is Bay Ridge-95th Street on the R line. Since the subway and the race both run along Fourth Avenue, you can hop on and off the R train to see runners in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, and Park Slope.

If you’re cheering with a group and need a place that’s easily accessible to people from all over the world, check out Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, a short walk from the D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center stop. Walk towards Lafayette Avenue between Fulton Street and Bedford Avenue for one of the best parties along the trail.

You can also catch runners at several points in Williamsburg and Greenpoint Bedford Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Nassau Avenue. Take the L train to Bedford Avenue, the M or J train to Marcy Avenue, or the G train to Nassau Avenue or Greenpoint Avenue.

Queens

Catch runners like them exit Pulaski Bridge about halfway through the race.

This is where runners, realizing they have as far to go as they’ve come, can use some extra energy. You can take the 7 train to Hunters Point Avenue, Vernon Boulevard or Jackson Avenue, or the G train to 21st Street.

The Bronx

The 20 mile mark, approximately 135th Street and Alexander Avenueis a notoriously challenging part of the marathon where some runners can hit the proverbial wall.

Many local running clubs have formed in this area to ring cowbells and cheer, so it’s guaranteed to be a rowdy place for spectators and runners. Take the 6 train to Brook Avenue or Third Avenue-138th Street, or the 4 or 5 to 138th Street-Grand Concourse.

Manhattan

The section towards the East Side – between the Queens and Bronx legs – is among the loudest sections. When runners come off the relatively quiet Queensboro Bridge, the sound wall provides a huge energy boost.

Spectators line the course several people deep First Avenue from 59th Street to 96th Street, so if you like cheering with a crowd, this is the place to be. The Q metro line stops at various points along this route.

The crowds tend to get smaller the further north you go – just as the race gets tougher – so runners could probably use some encouragement. North of 96th StreetUse metro line 6 to reach this part of the course.

When runners return to Manhattan from the Bronx, they run along Fifth Avenue through Harlem.

If you want easy access to a restroom because you expect to be cheering all day, head to the Duke Ellington statue 110th Street and Fifth Avenue. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center on Harlem Meer has public restrooms and is a short walk from the golf course. You can take the 2 or 3 trains to Central Park North and walk there.

Out of the Fifth Avenue portion of the race 105th Street to 90th Street is particularly iconic, with museums along the east side of the track and Central Park to the west. Many train lines take you here, including the 4, 5, 6 and Q.

Don’t say, “You’re almost there,” unless you’re going there Central Park South, using the A, C, D, or 1 trains at Columbus Circle or the N, Q, or R trains at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. Runners leave the park and run along the southern border before re-entering it at Columbus Circle.

If you want to scream and shout as runners triumphantly cross the finish line, you can buy tickets for the grandstand event at West 67th Street and West Drive.