Hundreds of thousands entered the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon lottery, but with 240,000+ applicants and roughly 1% selected, getting to the November 1 start line became the race’s most competitive drawing ever.
The results of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon lottery were released on March 4, as hundreds of thousands of runners around the world waited to see whether they secured a place on the start line of one of the world’s most famous races.
According to race organizer New York Road Runners (NYRR), more than 240,000 people applied for this year’s drawing.
Only about 1% of applicants were selected, making it the most competitive lottery in the race’s history.
The NYC Marathon uses a three-pool lottery system. Applicants are divided into three groups: runners living in the New York City metropolitan area, runners from the rest of the United States, and international runners.
A separate drawing is conducted within each group.
Runners who were selected did not receive a confirmation email before payment. Instead, NYRR automatically charged the registration fee to the credit or debit card provided during the application process.
Entry fees are estimated at about $255 for NYRR members, $315 for US non-members, and around $350 for international runners.
Demand for major marathons has increased significantly in recent years as running continues to grow worldwide.
The 2025 New York City Marathon set a record with 59,226 finishers, making it the largest marathon ever held.
The 2026 edition of the race will take place on November 1, starting on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park after passing through all five boroughs of New York City.
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