The time qualifier is a guaranteed-entry route into the TCS New York City Marathon for runners who hit a marathon time standard for their age and division. Meeting the standard at an NYRR race guarantees entry. Hitting it at another certified marathon still gets you into consideration, but that route is capped and allocated fastest-first, not an automatic guarantee. It sits alongside the open lottery, the 9+1 program, and NYRR's 15 plus year member entry as the routes into the race.
On the current table, men aged 18 to 34 need 2:53:00 and women the same band need 3:13:00, easing every few years down to 4:55:00 for men aged 80 and over and 6:35:00 for women aged 80 and over. Enter your own age and division above for the exact standard and your margin to it.
You still have paths in. The general entry lottery runs at roughly a 1 percent acceptance rate, the lowest in race history after a record 240,000 plus applications for 2026. NYRR's 9+1 program, nine qualifying NYRR races plus one volunteer day in a calendar year, and 15 plus year NYRR membership both earn guaranteed entry, and official charity partners offer entries from $2,500 to $5,000 in required fundraising.
The published time qualifier standards on this page are for the full marathon distance. NYRR's guaranteed-entry rules around half marathon results have shifted in recent years, so if a half marathon is your only fast credential, confirm the current policy on NYRR's official guaranteed-entry page before counting on it.
The general lottery for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, race day November 1, 2026, ran February 4 to 25, 2026, with the draw on March 4, 2026. The time qualifier window that earns guaranteed entry into the 2027 race runs the full 2026 calendar year, January 1 to December 31, and NYRR typically opens the next race's application window in February.
The published entry fee is $255 for NYRR members and $315 for non-members. Charity partner entries run $2,500 to $5,000 in required fundraising, on top of the standard entry fee.