The New York City Marathon is more than just a race. It’s also a community celebration for the thousands who line up along the five-county route to cheer on the participants.
If your job on Sunday is to cheer, here are the best places in each county to watch the race.
Staten Island
The marathon starts here, but runners line up on the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge and run across it into Brooklyn right at the start of the race, so there’s no place for people to cheer.
Some Staten Islanders are putting encouraging signs in their yards in case buses carrying runners drive by from the ferry terminal.
Brooklyn
After leaving the bridge, runners begin a long route up Fourth Avenue. The nearest subway stop is Bay Ridge-95th Street on the R line. Since both the subway and the race run along Fourth Avenue, you can hop on and off the R train to see runners in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Park Slope.
If you’re cheering with a group and need a place that’s easy for people from everywhere to get to, go to Fourth Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, just a short walk from the D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center stop. Go up to Lafayette Avenue between Fulton Street and Bedford Avenue for one of the best parties along the route.
You can also meet runners at several points in Williamsburg and Greenpoint Bedford Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Nassau Avenue. Take the L train to Bedford Avenue, the M or J train to Marcy Avenue, or the G train to Nassau Avenue or Greenpoint Avenue.
Queens
Catch runners like them Exit the Pulaski Bridge about halfway through the race.
This is where runners who realize they still have to go as far as they have already covered can use some extra energy. You can take the 7 train to Hunters Point Avenue, Vernon Boulevard or Jackson Avenue or the G train to 21st Street.
The Bronx
About the 20 mile mark 135th Street and Alexander Avenueis a notoriously challenging section of the marathon that can cause some runners to hit the proverbial wall.
Many local running clubs have set up shop in this area to ring cowbells and cheer, so it’s guaranteed to be a lively place for spectators and runners alike. Take the 6 train to Brook Avenue or Third Avenue-138th Street or the 4 or 5 train to 138th Street-Grand Concourse.
Manhattan
The section up to the East Side – between the Queens and Bronx legs – is one of the loudest sections. As runners leave the relatively quiet Queensboro Bridge, the baffle provides a huge boost of energy.
Spectators line the route, several people stand behind it First Avenue from 59th Street to 96th StreetSo if you like cheering with a crowd, this is the place for you. The Q subway line stops at several points on this route.
The further north you go, the smaller the crowds are – just as the race becomes more difficult – so runners can probably use some encouragement. North of 96th Streetuse subway line 6 to get to this part of the course.
When runners return from the Bronx to Manhattan, they run down Fifth Avenue through Harlem.
If you want easy access to a restroom because you have to cheer all day, go to the Duke Ellington statue 110th Street and Fifth Avenue. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center at Harlem Meer has public restrooms and is a short walk from the golf course. You can take the 2 or 3 trains to Central Park North and walk over.
The section of the race starts along Fifth Avenue 105th Street to 90th Street is particularly iconic, with museums on the east side of the square and Central Park to the west. Many train lines take you here, including lines 4, 5, 6 and Q.
You should avoid saying, “You’re almost there,” unless you’re heading out Central Park South, by the A, C, D or 1 trains at Columbus Circle or the N, Q or R trains at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. Runners will leave the park to run along the southern border before re-entering at Columbus Circle.
If you want to scream and scream as the runners triumphantly cross the finish line, you can purchase tickets to the Grandstand event at West 67th Street and West Drive.