NYC Marathon qualifying times for 2027
New York Road Runners (NYRR), the organizer of the TCS New York City Marathon, lists these time qualifier standards for the 2027 race on 7 November 2027. They go by your age on race day. Nonbinary standards are the same as the women’s.
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:53:00 | 3:13:00 |
| 35-39 | 2:55:00 | 3:15:00 |
| 40-44 | 2:58:00 | 3:26:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:05:00 | 3:38:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:14:00 | 3:51:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:23:00 | 4:10:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:34:00 | 4:27:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:45:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:10:00 | 5:30:00 |
| 75-79 | 4:30:00 | 6:00:00 |
| 80 and over | 4:55:00 | 6:35:00 |
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 1:21:00 | 1:32:00 |
| 35-39 | 1:23:00 | 1:34:00 |
| 40-44 | 1:25:00 | 1:37:00 |
| 45-49 | 1:28:00 | 1:42:00 |
| 50-54 | 1:32:00 | 1:49:00 |
| 55-59 | 1:36:00 | 1:54:00 |
| 60-64 | 1:41:00 | 2:02:00 |
| 65-69 | 1:46:00 | 2:12:00 |
| 70-74 | 1:57:00 | 2:27:00 |
| 75-79 | 2:07:00 | 2:40:00 |
| 80 and over | 2:15:00 | 2:50:00 |
A time has to be at least as fast as the standard on net (chip) time, not gun time, and be run from 1 January to 31 December 2026. Half marathon times count only from NYRR’s own half marathons. A standard met at any other marathon lets you apply but does not guarantee a place: see what guaranteed entry means.
This is not the official page. Plates & Pace is not affiliated with New York Road Runners or the TCS New York City Marathon. Standards, dates and rules change, and the organizer’s page decides: Marathon Time Qualifiers on nyrr.org. The figures here were read from it on 6 October 2026.
How it works
NYRR uses one set of standards for two routes into the 2027 race, and the two routes give different things.
At an NYRR race. Meet your standard at one of the five NYRR races that count, in a marathon or a half marathon, and you earn what NYRR calls non-complimentary guaranteed entry: the place is yours to claim, and you pay the entry fee. Times from NYRR races go onto your NYRR dashboard automatically, and you claim the entry during the claim period.
At any other marathon. Meet your standard at a certified marathon that NYRR does not hold and you can apply, but the place is not guaranteed. NYRR offers a limited number of these entries. If more runners apply than there are places, the places go to the fastest applicants in each age and gender category, and everyone else is put into the drawing.
The calculator finds your standard from your category and your age on race day, takes your time away from it to get your margin, and says which route your result fits. It also shows the standards of the age groups next to yours, in case a birthday before race day moves you up.
The formula
margin = standard − finish time
finish time is net (chip) time
0:00 or more meets the standard
NYRR marathon or half in 2026
→ guaranteed entry, which you
claim and pay for
other certified marathon in 2026
→ you can apply, no guarantee
half marathon not held by NYRR
→ not acceptedWorked example
A man who will be 42 on 7 November 2027 ran a marathon in 2:50:00 in 2026, at a race that NYRR does not hold.
- His group is men 40-44, with a marathon standard of 2:58:00.
- Margin: 2:58:00 − 2:50:00 = 8:00 under the standard. He can apply.
- The race was not an NYRR race, so the place is not guaranteed. NYRR said that qualifiers from other marathons needed to be at least 13:20 under their standard for the 2025 race and 22:52 under for 2026. A margin of 8:00 is short of both.
- The same 2:50:00 at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon would earn a guaranteed entry, because that is an NYRR race.
- To hold 2:58:00 exactly he needs 6:47 per mile or 4:13 per km.
What guaranteed entry means
From an NYRR race the entry is guaranteed on two conditions: you claim it during the claim period, and you pay the entry fee. NYRR calls this non-complimentary guaranteed entry.
From any other marathon, meeting the standard guarantees nothing. NYRR’s own words are that submission of a qualifying time does not guarantee entry. It offers a limited number of these places and does not say how many. When more runners apply than there are places, it accepts the fastest applicants in each age and gender category, charges their card and emails them. Everyone else goes into the drawing.
NYRR has said how that went in the last two rounds:
| Race | Accepted | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Top 10% | 22:52 |
| 2025 | Top 25% | 13:20 |
NYRR measured those margins against its standards for those races. This page has only the 2027 standards, so read the margins as a sign of how hard this route has been, not as a cut-off for 2027.
Which races count
For the 2027 race NYRR lists five of its own races, all run in person:
- 2026 United Airlines NYC Half
- 2026 Maybelline Women’s Half
- 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half
- 2026 Staten Island Half
- 2026 TCS New York City Marathon
A time from any other race has to meet these conditions, which NYRR sets out on its time qualifier page:
- It is a full marathon. NYRR does not take half marathon times from races it does not hold.
- The course is certified by USA Track & Field, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), World Athletics or the national governing body for distance running in the country of the race. NYRR says to ask the race itself if you are not sure.
- The time can be checked on the race’s own results page. When you apply you give the name of the race, your net time and the web address of your result.
- Indoor marathons, virtual marathons and triathlons do not count, and neither do times from Strava or a GPS watch.
Qualifying window and dates
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Qualifying window | 1 January to 31 December 2026 |
| Age that counts | Your age on 7 November 2027, race day |
| Claim period for NYRR races | Not announced |
| Application for other marathons | Not announced |
NYRR listed both the claim period and the application window as dates to be decided when we read its page on 6 October 2026. Its general page on time qualifiers says the application for other marathons is usually open during the first week of the drawing application. For the 2026 race, guaranteed entries were claimed from 4 to 25 February 2026, the same three weeks as the drawing application.
NYRR notes that all dates may change.
Which gender category applies
- The category your result is posted under at the qualifying race decides which standards you have to meet.
- If a race that NYRR does not hold did not let you register as nonbinary, you can still apply as nonbinary, and you must meet the nonbinary standards.
- If you change the gender category in your NYRR profile after your result is posted, you must meet the standards of both categories: the one you changed to and the one the result is posted under.
The pace each standard takes
The pace to hold for each marathon standard, rounded down to the second so that holding it finishes inside the time. Nonbinary runners use the women’s table. For the half marathon standards, the calculator at the top gives the pace.
| Age | Standard | Mile | Km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:53:00 | 6:35 | 4:06 |
| 35-39 | 2:55:00 | 6:40 | 4:08 |
| 40-44 | 2:58:00 | 6:47 | 4:13 |
| 45-49 | 3:05:00 | 7:03 | 4:23 |
| 50-54 | 3:14:00 | 7:23 | 4:35 |
| 55-59 | 3:23:00 | 7:44 | 4:48 |
| 60-64 | 3:34:00 | 8:09 | 5:04 |
| 65-69 | 3:45:00 | 8:34 | 5:19 |
| 70-74 | 4:10:00 | 9:32 | 5:55 |
| 75-79 | 4:30:00 | 10:17 | 6:23 |
| 80+ | 4:55:00 | 11:15 | 6:59 |
| Age | Standard | Mile | Km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 3:13:00 | 7:21 | 4:34 |
| 35-39 | 3:15:00 | 7:26 | 4:37 |
| 40-44 | 3:26:00 | 7:51 | 4:52 |
| 45-49 | 3:38:00 | 8:18 | 5:09 |
| 50-54 | 3:51:00 | 8:48 | 5:28 |
| 55-59 | 4:10:00 | 9:32 | 5:55 |
| 60-64 | 4:27:00 | 10:11 | 6:19 |
| 65-69 | 4:50:00 | 11:03 | 6:52 |
| 70-74 | 5:30:00 | 12:35 | 7:49 |
| 75-79 | 6:00:00 | 13:43 | 8:31 |
| 80+ | 6:35:00 | 15:03 | 9:21 |
Some of these standards are also the goal of one of our pace pages, which add the split for every mile, a negative-split plan and training paces: 3:15 Marathon Pace (women and nonbinary runners aged 35-39); 3:45 Marathon Pace (men aged 65-69); 4:30 Marathon Pace (men aged 75-79); 6 Hour Marathon Pace (women and nonbinary runners aged 75-79).
New York, Chicago and Boston side by side
Marathon standards for the 2027 New York City Marathon, the 2027 Chicago Marathon and the 2027 and 2028 Boston Marathons. All three go by your age on race day and use the same age groups. The youngest group starts at 18 in New York and Boston and at 16 in Chicago.
| Age | NYC | Chicago | Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 34 | 2:53:00 | 2:50:00 | 2:55:00 |
| 35-39 | 2:55:00 | 2:55:00 | 3:00:00 |
| 40-44 | 2:58:00 | 3:00:00 | 3:05:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:05:00 | 3:10:00 | 3:15:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:14:00 | 3:15:00 | 3:20:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:23:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:34:00 | 3:40:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:45:00 | 3:55:00 | 4:05:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:10:00 | 4:15:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 75-79 | 4:30:00 | 4:30:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 80+ | 4:55:00 | 4:50:00 | 4:50:00 |
| Age | NYC | Chicago | Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 34 | 3:13:00 | 3:20:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35-39 | 3:15:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40-44 | 3:26:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:38:00 | 3:40:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:51:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55-59 | 4:10:00 | 3:55:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60-64 | 4:27:00 | 4:15:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65-69 | 4:50:00 | 4:30:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70-74 | 5:30:00 | 4:45:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75-79 | 6:00:00 | 5:00:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80+ | 6:35:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
For men aged 40-44, for example, the standard is 2:58:00 in New York, 3:00:00 in Chicago and 3:05:00 in Boston. What the time gets you is not the same at the three races:
- Chicago. A guaranteed entry, as long as you apply inside the application window: 8 to 29 October 2026 for the 2027 race. See the Chicago Marathon qualifying times.
- New York. A guaranteed entry if the time was run at one of the five New York Road Runners races that count. From any other marathon, a place only if you are among the fastest applicants: for the 2026 race that took 22:52 under the standard.
- Boston. A place if you are under your standard by at least the cut-off, which was 5:17 for the 2027 race. For that race the B.A.A. also added a random selection among the qualifiers who missed the cut-off. The Boston qualifier calculator checks a time against the cut-offs.
If one of these times is your goal, the marathon pace chart gives the pace per mile and per km for every finish time.
Other ways into the race
The drawing. Runners with no guaranteed entry can apply to the drawing. NYRR had not announced the 2027 dates when we read its page. For the 2026 race the application ran from 4 to 25 February 2026 and the drawing was held on 4 March 2026, in three separate pools: residents in and within 60 miles of New York City, other U.S. residents, and applicants from outside the United States. NYRR said that more than 240,000 people applied and about one percent were accepted.
9+1. NYRR members who run nine qualifying NYRR races and volunteer at one qualifying event in 2026, and whose membership is active on 31 December 2026, can claim a guaranteed entry to the 2027 race, with the entry fee to pay. From the 2027 program, which leads to the 2028 race, members first have to be picked in a member-only drawing. NYRR set the first of those drawings for 1 October 2026.
Charity. Registering with one of NYRR’s Official Charity Partners earns a guaranteed entry. NYRR says the partners for 2027 will be announced in the spring of 2027.
NYRR’s Run in 2027 page lists the rest: a second-chance drawing for NYRR members who apply to the drawing, international tour operators, 5K and 10K philanthropic memberships, NYRR Team for Kids, NYRR Team for Climate, the guaranteed-entry tier of the 2026 Virtual TCS New York City Marathon, runners who have finished 15 New York City Marathons, and entrants who cancelled their 2026 entry under NYRR’s rules.
What NYRR has not said yet
- When qualifiers from NYRR races claim their entries for 2027, and when runners from other marathons apply. Both were dates to be decided on 6 October 2026.
- How many places go to qualifiers from other marathons. NYRR calls the number limited and does not give it.
- What margin those qualifiers will need for 2027. That is only known once the applications are in.
Check NYRR’s page before you pick a race for the time.
Questions
What are the NYC Marathon qualifying times for 2027?
For men, by age on race day: 18-34 2:53:00; 35-39 2:55:00; 40-44 2:58:00; 45-49 3:05:00; 50-54 3:14:00; 55-59 3:23:00; 60-64 3:34:00; 65-69 3:45:00; 70-74 4:10:00; 75-79 4:30:00; 80 and over 4:55:00. For women and nonbinary runners: 18-34 3:13:00; 35-39 3:15:00; 40-44 3:26:00; 45-49 3:38:00; 50-54 3:51:00; 55-59 4:10:00; 60-64 4:27:00; 65-69 4:50:00; 70-74 5:30:00; 75-79 6:00:00; 80 and over 6:35:00. These are marathon times. The half marathon standards, which count only at NYRR half marathons, are in the table near the top of the page.
Does a qualifying time guarantee entry to the NYC Marathon?
Only if you ran it at one of the five NYRR races that count for 2027. A qualifying time from any other marathon lets you apply for a limited number of places, which go to the fastest applicants in each age and gender category. For the 2026 race NYRR accepted the top 10 percent of those applicants, who were at least 22:52 under their standard.
Can I qualify for the NYC Marathon with a half marathon time?
Yes, at an NYRR half marathon. For 2027 those are the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half, 2026 Maybelline Women’s Half, 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half and 2026 Staten Island Half. NYRR does not accept half marathon times from races it does not hold.
When do I have to run my qualifying time for the 2027 NYC Marathon?
From 1 January to 31 December 2026. That includes the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on 1 November 2026, which is one of the NYRR races that count.
How much faster than the standard do I need to be?
At an NYRR race, not at all: a time equal to your standard is enough. From any other marathon there is no fixed answer, because the places go to the fastest applicants. NYRR said those qualifiers needed to be at least 13:20 under their standard for the 2025 race and 22:52 under for 2026. Enter your time above to see where you stand against both.
Are NYC Marathon qualifying times harder than Boston’s?
Against Boston’s standards for 2027 and 2028, New York’s marathon standards are faster in 10 and slower in 1 of the 11 men’s age groups, and faster in 4 and slower in 7 of the women’s. Men aged 40-44 need 2:58:00 in New York and 3:05:00 in Boston. The two races also treat a qualifier differently: Boston accepts qualifiers fastest first until its field is full (the cut-off for 2027 was 5:17), and New York guarantees a place only from its own races. The Boston qualifier calculator has the Boston side.
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Sources
- New York Road Runners. Marathon Time Qualifiers. Standards for the 2027 race by age and gender, the qualifying window, the NYRR races that count, the rules for other marathons and the gender category rules. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. Time Qualifiers for NYRR Marquee Races. The same standards, how a guaranteed entry is claimed and when the application for other marathons usually opens. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. New York Road Runners Sets Record with 240,000+ Applications for 2026 TCS New York City Marathon Drawing. 4 March 2026. Share of non-NYRR time qualifiers accepted for the 2026 race and the margin they needed. Drawing applications and acceptance rate. Date of the 2026 race. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. New York Road Runners Announces Record-Breaking Demand for 2025 TCS New York City Marathon Drawing with More Than 200,000 Applications. 5 March 2025. Share of non-NYRR time qualifiers accepted for the 2025 race and the margin they needed. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. Run in 2027. Every entry method for the 2027 race: drawing, 9+1, charities and the rest. Dates not yet announced. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. Run in 2026. Claim period and drawing dates for the 2026 race. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. The Drawing. How the drawing for the 2026 race worked: dates and the three applicant pools. Read on 6 October 2026.
- New York Road Runners. TCS New York City Marathon 9+1 Membership Program. The 2026 9+1 program for 2027 entry, and the member drawing that starts with the 2027 program. Read on 6 October 2026.
- Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Apply. Time qualifier standards for the 2027 race, the qualifying window, the application window, the payment deadline, the conditions and the other entry paths. Read on 6 October 2026.
- Boston Athletic Association. Qualify for the Boston Marathon. Boston qualifying standards by age and the cut-off for each year. Source of the Boston column in the comparison. Read on 6 October 2026.
- Boston Athletic Association. Registration Updates and Information Announced for 2027 Boston Marathon. 22 July 2026. The 2028 Boston standards are the same as those for 2027. A random selection among qualifiers who miss the cut-off, new for 2027. Read on 6 October 2026.