NYC Marathon qualifying times.
New York publishes two time-qualifier grids: marathon standards, and half-marathon standards that count only at NYRR's own races. Both are below, verified against New York Road Runners, with each row priced in the VDOT it demands and the half-marathon fitness it implies.
How NYC Marathon qualifying works
New York's time-qualifier system has two doors. Meet the standard at an in-person NYRR marathon or half marathon and guaranteed entry is yours to claim — non-complimentary, during a claim period. Meet it at any other certified full marathon and you may apply for one of a limited number of non-NYRR qualifier entries. The window for the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon is January 1 through December 31, 2026; net (chip) time is what counts; and your age group is determined by your age on November 7, 2027.
The two grids below are the official standards for all 11 age groups in each division. The marathon column applies everywhere; the NYRR-half column is a genuine qualifying standard but only at NYRR's own half marathons — a half run elsewhere, however fast, is not a New York time qualifier. Results must be verifiable online at a certified race; watches and Strava do not count.
The standards ladder
Men
| Age group | Marathon standard | NYRR half standard | VDOT required | Half in range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:53:00 | 1:21:00 | 56.1 | 1:22:50 |
| 35-39 | 2:55:00 | 1:23:00 | 55.3 | 1:23:52 |
| 40-44 | 2:58:00 | 1:25:00 | 54.2 | 1:25:21 |
| 45-49 | 3:05:00 | 1:28:00 | 51.8 | 1:28:46 |
| 50-54 | 3:14:00 | 1:32:00 | 49 | 1:33:08 |
| 55-59 | 3:23:00 | 1:36:00 | 46.4 | 1:37:37 |
| 60-64 | 3:34:00 | 1:41:00 | 43.6 | 1:43:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:45:00 | 1:46:00 | 41 | 1:48:35 |
| 70-74 | 4:10:00 | 1:57:00 | 36.1 | 2:01:01 |
| 75-79 | 4:30:00 | 2:07:00 | 32.8 | 2:11:11 |
| 80+ | 4:55:00 | 2:15:00 | 29.3 | 2:24:04 |
Women & non-binary
TCS New York City Marathon publishes identical standards for the women's and non-binary divisions; the table below serves both.
| Age group | Marathon standard | NYRR half standard | VDOT required | Half in range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 3:13:00 | 1:32:00 | 49.3 | 1:32:39 |
| 35-39 | 3:15:00 | 1:34:00 | 48.7 | 1:33:38 |
| 40-44 | 3:26:00 | 1:37:00 | 45.6 | 1:39:06 |
| 45-49 | 3:38:00 | 1:42:00 | 42.6 | 1:45:04 |
| 50-54 | 3:51:00 | 1:49:00 | 39.7 | 1:51:37 |
| 55-59 | 4:10:00 | 1:54:00 | 36.1 | 2:01:01 |
| 60-64 | 4:27:00 | 2:02:00 | 33.2 | 2:09:51 |
| 65-69 | 4:50:00 | 2:12:00 | 30 | 2:21:17 |
| 70-74 | 5:30:00 | 2:27:00 | 25.4 | 2:41:50 |
| 75-79 | 6:00:00 | 2:40:00 | 22.7 | 2:56:57 |
| 80+ | 6:35:00 | 2:50:00 | 20 | 3:15:12 |
Standards verified against nyrr.org on 2026-07-30 — the tables above render them unmodified. Registration systems change; the source page is authoritative.
Two half-marathon numbers appear around this page and they answer different questions. The official NYRR-half standard is a qualifying time — run it at an eligible NYRR half and it counts at the door. The computed half-in-range figure is a fitness signal — the half equivalent of the marathon standard's VDOT. The two columns will rarely agree, and they are not supposed to: NYRR sets its half standards as entry criteria, not as equivalence math. Use the official column at the door and the computed column in training. Each marathon standard links the nearest goal page at or under it on our ladder — the full training picture for that time.
Two grids. One engine under both.
The VDOT column beside your New York row is the same score Why Not recalculates after every run you log — and the plan it builds is aimed at exactly that number, week by week, inside the qualifying window. A full year costs less than the cheapest month of human coaching.
Build my qualifying blockQualifying vs. entry
For non-NYRR qualifiers, New York Road Runners is blunt: submission of a qualifying time does not guarantee entry. If applications outnumber the spots, the fastest in each age and gender category are accepted and everyone else joins the non-guaranteed general drawing with the rest of the field. The NYRR-race door is the clean one — standard met there, entry guaranteed, though you still pay for it. No drawing odds are quoted here; they move with demand every year.
Where do you stand against your row?
Enter a recent race plus your age and division, and this compares your VDOT against the one your New York marathon row demands — your score, the required score, and the gap. Computed locally; nothing stored or sent anywhere.
NYC Marathon qualifying FAQ
One marathon standard and one NYRR-half standard per age group per division, published by New York Road Runners for the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon — the complete grids are the tables above, rendered exactly as published and verified against the official page on 2026-07-30.
Only through the NYRR-race door: meet the standard at an in-person NYRR race and guaranteed entry is yours to claim (and pay for). Non-NYRR qualifying times are applications for limited spots — the fastest in each age and gender category get them, and everyone else goes into the general drawing.
Only at an NYRR half marathon, against the NYRR-half column of the grid. Half times from non-NYRR races are not eligible — non-NYRR applications are accepted with full-marathon times only.
For the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon: January 1 through December 31, 2026. Net (chip) time is evaluated, results must be verifiable online, and your age group is matched on your age on November 7, 2027. All from the official source linked under the table.
They are this site’s addition, not NYRR’s: each marathon standard is run through the Daniels–Gilbert formulas to get the VDOT it requires and the equivalent half marathon at that fitness. They measure readiness — the official NYRR-half column measures qualification, and only at NYRR races.
Every number on this page is computed from our own implementation of the Daniels–Gilbert formulas published in Daniels' Running Formula (Jack Daniels & Jimmy Gilbert) — the same library the Why Not app runs. Nothing is transcribed from the book's tables, and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the authors. Equivalent times assume you train appropriately for the target distance; that caveat is Daniels' own.
A coach for the price of a coffee run.
A human marathon coach runs $100 to $300 a month and rebuilds your plan when you email them. Why Not runs the same Daniels VDOT engine behind every number on this page and adapts after every workout. A full year of the app costs less than the cheapest month of human coaching.
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