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You don’t have to run 26.2 miles to get emotional at the New York City Marathon finish line—and this year, you might not even have to pay to watch.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has announced a giveaway of 350 free grandstand tickets for the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1. The seats put spectators alongside the final 200 meters of the course in Central Park, where months of training make for triumphant finishes and many happy tears.
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New Yorkers can enter the drawing here, operated in partnership with New York Road Runners, through Monday, October 26, at 11:59pm. Winners will be notified shortly afterward and can receive up to two tickets each. The giveaway covers admission to the Grandstands, where tickets typically start at $55 before fees. For anyone hoping to catch a loved one’s final push—or simply spend a Sunday cheering for thousands of strangers—it’s a great place to work your spectator muscles.
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“Every one of them deserves a crowd ready to cheer them home. That’s why we’re giving away 350 free tickets to the grandstands at the end of the race,” Mamdani said in the announcement.
Nearly 60,000 runners are expected to tackle this year’s race, traveling from the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge through all five boroughs before reaching Central Park. The city expects more than 2 million spectators to cheer along the way. There’s another reason to make some noise this year: the marathon celebrates the 50th anniversary of its five-borough course. The race itself began in 1970, before expanding beyond Central Park in 1976.
NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer said the partnership would give more New Yorkers a chance to witness “the determination, joy and emotion of runners crossing that finish line.”
And if the lottery doesn’t go your way, your cheering career can continue elsewhere. Much of the course, from mile three through mile 26, is open to spectators for free, with plenty of opportunities to hold a sign and briefly become someone’s favorite person in New York.
The giveaway joins other city efforts to make sports more accessible, including free tickets to the track-and-field championship and discounted Gotham FC admission. Your immediate assignment, though, is simpler: enter by October 26, then get to work on that sign!