MajorMarathon
Pace your New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon Pace Calculator — build marathon splits from your goal time and the real course elevation.
Sun, Nov 1, 2026
Course profile Descent
- Distance
- 42.2km
- Gain
- ↑ 75m
- Loss
- ↓ 100m
- Steepest km
- +1.5%
Set a goal time to build your splits
- Splits shaped by the course's climbs and descents
- Even, negative, or positive split strategies
- Send the plan straight to your watch
Course notes
How to pace the New York City Marathon
New York starts with its hardest climb: the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge over the first mile gains about 150 feet into a headwind. Going out at goal pace here is the classic New York mistake.
Miles 2 through 15 through Brooklyn and into Queens are the flattest, fastest part of the course — this is where an even or slightly conservative plan should feel comfortable.
The Queensboro Bridge at mile 15–16 climbs in silence, then First Avenue tempts a surge in front of the crowds. The Bronx and the long rise on Fifth Avenue from mile 22 to the Central Park hills are where the race is won or lost. Bank nothing early; you need it after mile 20.
Set a goal finish time above and the calculator builds a split plan for this course, grade-adjusted from its elevation profile. New to pacing? Read the pacing strategy guide.
FAQ
New York City Marathon pacing FAQ
Is the New York City Marathon hilly?
NYC climbs roughly 250 metres, mostly on its five bridges. The Verrazzano-Narrows in mile 1 and the Queensboro Bridge at mile 15 are the steepest, with a long grind up Fifth Avenue from mile 22.
How much slower is the first mile on the Verrazzano Bridge?
The uphill first mile typically runs 20–40 seconds slower than goal pace even at goal effort. The downhill second mile gives most of that back, so avoid chasing the time on the climb.
How do I calculate marathon splits?
Choose a marathon course or distance, enter your goal finish time, select kilometers or miles, and generate a split-by-split pacing plan.
Should marathon pace change on hills?
A hill-adjusted plan usually slows the target pace on climbs and allows faster splits on descents so the effort stays more even across the course.
What is an elevation-adjusted pace plan?
An elevation-adjusted pace plan uses the course profile to distribute effort by split instead of assuming the same pace for every kilometer or mile. The goal is to slow slightly on climbs, recover time on descents, and still hit your target finish time.
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