Free NYC Marathon finish line grandstand seats: enter the city drawing by Oct. 26

New Yorkers 18 and older can enter a city drawing for free seats in the TCS New York City Marathon Grandstand at the Central Park finish line, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday. The online drawing closes Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m.

The city is giving away 350 tickets through the drawing, which it set up with New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that organizes the marathon. Each winner gets up to two tickets.

Who can enter the marathon grandstand drawing

You must be a New Yorker and at least 18 to enter. A winner can give the second ticket to a New Yorker of any age.

Entries go through the city’s online link on.nyc.gov/2026marathon, which accepts entries until Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m., according to the NYC Mayor’s Office.

The grandstand lines the last 200 meters of the course, where runners finish the race. Seats there usually start at $55.

“Sports belong to the people,” Mamdani said. He added that every runner deserves a crowd cheering them home.

NYC Marathon 2026 date and route

The race is on Nov. 1. About 60,000 runners from around the world will cover 26.2 miles. They start on Staten Island and run through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx before finishing in Central Park in Manhattan. The course changes this year for the first time in 15 years, with fewer turns in Mott Haven to reduce the disruption for residents and businesses there.

People who don’t win a seat can still watch for free at public viewing spots along the route in all five boroughs.

What it means for you

Winners are notified after the drawing closes, according to the NYC Mayor’s Office. Enter by Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m. via on.nyc.gov/2026marathon, the NYC Mayor’s Office says.