The NYC Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon. Five boroughs, 26.2 miles, a field that now numbers in the tens of thousands. These frames are from the street: stride, kit, and the crowd at the edge of the course.

Five boroughs

The gun on Staten Island at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Then Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. The finish is in Central Park. The photographs stay with people on the pavement, not with the map.

In 1970, 127 runners started. In recent years the field has passed 50,000 elites, charity bibs, and first-timers on the same course.

• The first race, in 1970, cost $1 to enter. Fifty-five runners finished.
• About two million people stand along the route.
• 2019 remains the largest finish: 53,640.
• The Queensboro Bridge carries the field into Manhattan around mile 16.
• The 2012 race was cancelled after Hurricane Sandy.

Experiences