Windsplit · race guide · New York, USA

New York City Marathon 2026: weather, wind and pacing

TCS New York City Marathon starts Sunday 1 November 2026 at 09:10 local time from Fort Wadsworth. Below: the live forecast for race day, which parts of the course take the wind, the elevation profile and how to turn it into a pacing plan.

Race-day forecast

Loading the forecast …

Course facts

Distance
42.195 km
Climbing
+161 m
Descent
−187 m
Lowest · highest
3 · 78 m
Start
09:10
Fort Wadsworth

Five boroughs and five bridges: Verrazzano (km 1–3), Pulaski (km 21), Queensboro (km 25), Willis Avenue (km 32) and Madison Avenue (km 34). First Avenue is long and straight, so the wind direction decides km 26–32.

Course map

510152025303540N

Numbers are km markers. North is up.

Elevation profile

0102030405060708090510152025303540m aslkm

161 m up, 187 m down, 3–78 m above sea level. 10 m between grid lines.

Which kilometres get a headwind?

Computed from the direction the course runs in each kilometre. A kilometre counts as headwind when the wind comes from within 60° of straight ahead, and as tailwind when it comes from within 60° of straight behind. Find the forecast wind direction and read your row.

Wind fromHeadwind kmTailwind kmHeadwind share
N (north)3–13, 15–22, 24, 27–32, 4235–4064 %
NE (north-east)1–3, 5–15, 18–23, 27–32, 4235–4164 %
E (east)1–3, 7–11, 13–15, 19, 2325, 34–35, 38–3931 %
SE (south-east)144, 16–17, 20–22, 24–25, 342 %
S (south)35–403–13, 15–22, 24, 27–32, 4214 %
SW (south-west)35–411–3, 5–15, 18–23, 27–32, 4217 %
W (west)25, 34–35, 38–391–3, 7–11, 13–15, 19, 2312 %
NW (north-west)4, 16–17, 20–22, 24–25, 341421 %

How to use this on race day

  1. Open the race plan two or three days before. The forecast updates every 30 minutes, and the confidence line tells you when the models agree.
  2. Enter your goal pace, your weight and height, and whether you expect to run alone, behind one runner or in a group. The plan gives even-effort splits per 5 km and per km, with wind, hills and temperature priced in.
  3. Download the plan as an image for your phone, or share the link with your pacing group. Afterwards, connect Strava in Replay and see what the wind actually cost, kilometre by kilometre.

Open the race plan

Questions runners ask

How hilly is the New York City Marathon?

161 m of climbing and 187 m of descent over 42.195 km, between 3 and 78 m above sea level. Five boroughs and five bridges: Verrazzano (km 1–3), Pulaski (km 21), Queensboro (km 25), Willis Avenue (km 32) and Madison Avenue (km 34). First Avenue is long and straight, so the wind direction decides km 26–32.

Which parts of the New York City Marathon course are exposed to wind?

It depends on the wind direction on the day. With a wind from the north, the course has a headwind on km 3–13, 15–22, 24, 27–32, 42 (64 % of the distance) and a tailwind on km 35–40. The table on this page lists all eight directions; the race plan uses the actual forecast hour by hour.

When is the race-day forecast reliable?

Windsplit shows a forecast from 16 days out, but wind forecasts usually converge in the last three days. Check the evening before and again on race morning: the tool refreshes every 30 minutes, and the confidence line shows whether the models agree.

Can I see what the wind actually cost after the race?

Yes. Replay reads the activity from Strava or a GPX/FIT file, fetches the weather that was recorded along the route, and shows the wind, hill and heat cost per kilometre, plus an adjusted pace in still air. If you planned the race in Windsplit on the same device, it compares the prediction with the result.

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