New York City Marathon Returns with Over 50,000 Runners; Event Also Serves as U.S. Paralympic Selection for Paris 2024 Games

With the marathon touted as the most difficult of the major marathons, 2023 record-holders Ethiopian Tigst Assefa and Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum set to run, runners vie for a slice of the $105 million total prize fund; event holds high prestige despite elevated course.

The New York City Marathon returns this year with over 50,000 participants. The last World Marathon Major of the year, the NYC event is known for its challenging course featuring rolling hills, bridge crossings, and unpredictable November weather.
The Marathon course winds through all five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Manhattan. The Staten Island start and Central Park finish are marked by notable elevation gain and loss throughout the race, making this event the most difficult of the major marathons.
Record holders Ethiopian Tigst Assefa and Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, who made marathon history in Berlin and Chicago respectively earlier this year, are set to participate in the NYC Marathon. However, the unique challenges of the NYC course make it unlikely for new records to be set.
For the first time ever, this year's NYC Marathon is also a U.S. Paralympic Selection Event for the Paris 2024 Games in the wheelchair division. Four athletes, the top two American finishers in the men's and women's races, will secure their spots to compete in the upcoming Olympics.
The NYC Marathon holds huge prestige, and despite its difficult course, it attracts thousands of runners from around the world, and a substantial prize fund of $105 million, with various cash prizes for the fastest runners, record breakers, and wheelchair division winners. Total annual revenue for the New York Road Runners, which organizes the event, was $105 million in 2019.