Where to Watch the NYC Marathon: Four Free Cheering Spots

Leif Ericson Park meets the course on Fourth Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets in Bay Ridge, about three blocks north of the R train's Bay Ridge Av station. This is the first stretch open to spectators, with runners coming straight off the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge while the field is still packed tight. NYRR's start times are 8:00 AM for the men's pro wheelchair race, 8:02 AM for the women's, 8:22 AM for handcycles, 8:35 AM for the pro women, 9:05 AM for the pro men, and 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55 and 11:30 AM for Waves 1 to 5. Our rough estimate, not an NYRR schedule, puts the pro fields here about 10 to 20 minutes after their start and most wave runners about 25 to 45 minutes after theirs. Arrive before 8 AM to see the wheelchair leaders. Portable toilets on the course are for registered runners only, and Coffee Rx on Third Avenue opens at 8 AM on Sundays.

Runners come off the Queensboro Bridge onto First Avenue around mile 16 and head north. NYRR says spectators line the sidewalks here and the avenue's many bars and restaurants add to the festive atmosphere. St. Catherine's Park between 67th and 68th Streets is an easy meeting point near the 6 at 68 St–Hunter College. The course can be crossed only at NYRR's crossing zones at 69th, 72nd, 83rd and 86th Streets, and you should stay behind the blue tape or barricades. The west sidewalk is the subway side. The Coffee Inn and B&B Bagels sit on the east side, so reach them through the 69th or 72nd Street crossing. Getting here from Fourth Avenue takes about an hour or more on race-day trains, and the leaders will be gone by then. Our advice is to treat the four spots as options rather than one loop and pick one or two. Before moving on, check your runner's live position in the NYRR app and look up service on mta.info. The Charity Cheer Zone at First Avenue and 120th Street covers miles 19 to 20 near the 6.

NYRR calls Fifth Avenue between East 90th and East 105th Streets a crucial spot to catch your runners before they enter Central Park. Runners head south on this stretch with the park along the west side of the avenue. NYRR lists no pedestrian crossing zones on Fifth Avenue, and the east sidewalk keeps you on the subway side without crossing the course. For a group, meet on the east sidewalk across from Conservatory Garden's Fifth Avenue gate at 105th Street. This late in the race the field is spread out, and NYRR suggests reading shirts and race bibs to greet runners by name, number or country. Signs and flags are welcome, while unofficial speakers are not allowed. NYRR lists the Q, 4, 5 and 6 for this section. If you plan to move on to the finish, the app's live tracking tells you whether your runner is still ahead of you.

The final approach has two separate ways in. The free Standing Spectator Area runs inside Central Park from Columbus Circle to the south end of the grandstands, about 500 feet before the finish on West Drive at 67th Street. Enter at Broadway and West 61st Street or from the east side by the Central Park path near Heckscher Fields, Kickball Field #3. Every entrance requires screening, chairs and seats are not allowed, and NYPD, NYRR and NYC Parks may limit access at times based on capacity. A backup curb nearby is worth having. The East Side Grandstand is a separate ticketed area facing the final 200 meters, with limited seats and its own entrance at West 62nd Street and Broadway. NYRR sells those tickets to registered runners. There is no spectator access north of the grandstands inside the park, and spectators are not allowed on any bridge on the course. The United Airlines Zone sits at Columbus Circle, served by the A, C, D and 1.