New York Marathon 2015: Route, Course Map, Times, Road Closures, Event Details
The New York City Marathon has been among the premier long-distance races in the world since its inception in 1970, and the 2015 edition promises to be an exciting and tightly contested affair.
There is no question that the New York City Marathon is one of the most unique competitions of its kind since it runs through all five boroughs in NYC. The 50,000-plus runners will have an opportunity to take in all the sights and sounds New York has to offer, and the winners will have their lives changed forever.
Here is all the information needed to enjoy the 2015 New York City Marathon, including television listings, a look at the race course and much more.
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Where: New York City
When: Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9 a.m. ET
Watch: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Race Start Times
| 8:30 a.m. | Wheelchair Division |
| 8:55 a.m. | Achilles Handcycle Category and Select Athletes with Disabilities |
| 8:58 a.m. | Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge |
| 9:20 a.m. | Professional Women |
| 9:50 a.m. | Wave 1 (including Professional Men) |
| 10:15 a.m. | Wave 2 |
| 10:40 a.m. | Wave 3 |
| 11 a.m. | Wave 4 |
Course Map and Route (courtesy of Uber NYC)
Road Closures
Full listing of road and bridge closures available at TCSNYCMarathon.org.
NYC Marathon Points of Interest
Fair Weather Expected for Race
Weather is always an area of concern since coldness and precipitation can play a role in New York in the month of November, but current indications suggest the runners are in for a nice day Sunday.
According to Kevin Byrne of AccuWeather.com, a temperature around 50 degrees is expected for much of the race with light wind. Minor rain showers are also possible, but they are unlikely to have much of an impact on the runners.
Per Byrne, Icahn School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine Dr. Melissa Leber believes the somewhat cool temperature will be ideal for those taking part in the race.
"Cooler weather means that runners will likely not need as much hydration as compared to warmer weather when they're sweating," Leber said.
Based on the potential alternatives of heavy precipitation or unseasonably warm temperatures, the runners couldn't have asked for a much better situation.
Athletic competitions are at their best when the elements don't play a huge role, and everything points toward the runners not having to worry much about the weather Sunday.
Wilson Kipsang, Mary Keitany Look to Repeat
Both the men's and women's New York City Marathon winners in 2014 were first-time champions, but the Kenyan runners are out to prove they aren't one-hit wonders.
Wilson Kipsang scored a third consecutive NYC Marathon win for Kenyan males last year, but he did so with the slowest winning time since Mexico's German Silva in 1995.
That suggests Kipsang may be ripe for the picking, and while he acknowledges the competition will be stiff, he believes he is well prepared to repeat, according to Peter Verry of FootwearNews.com.
"Training went very well. I trained on similar courses to get ready for this one. I feel that I’m ready for it," Kipsang said. "But with the presence of new guys, new competitors, I think it will be a more technical and difficult race."
On the women's side, 33-year-old Mary Keitany is ready for another shot at greatness as well.
Keitany has a chance to become the first two-time women's winner since Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe in 2007, and she feels she is now over some of the issues that plagued her earlier in the year and also in past years at the New York City Marathon, per Roger Robinson of Competitor.com.
"I will run very carefully. In 2011 here I started too fast. I could not finish well," Keitany said. "My training has been good. Before the London Marathon in April, I had been ill with malaria. This time I think I will run well."
With such a huge field stacked with elite runners both in the men's and women's ranks, repeating as champion is an extremely tall task.
Kipsang and Keitany both seem to have the mentality needed to make it happen, but there will be no shortage of contenders nipping at their heels.
James Blake to Run in 1st Marathon
It isn't uncommon for star athletes from other sports to compete in the New York City Marathon, and that is precisely what former tennis star James Blake will do this year.
The 35-year-old American was once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world, and he registered a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in men's singles.
Blake has been in the news lately as he was the subject of mistaken identity in a September incident in New York City that saw a cop use excessive force in arresting him. As it turns out, Blake was not the intended target, which led to apologies from the New York Police Department.
Despite that, Blake has remained committed to taking part in the New York City Marathon in support of the James Blake Foundation.
According to Jamie Lisanti of SI.com, Blake explained the reasoning behind his decision to take a crack at the grueling race:
"Every year my foundation asked me to run and every year I sort of haven't been able to—I was either on tour or it was just really tough with my family. This year there was an opportunity to train for it and I figured I might as well do it while I'm younger, rather than waiting until later, when it would hurt a whole lot more.
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