Weather, route, celebrities, defending champions face cooler weather

More than 50,000 runners from around the world have converged on the Big Apple and will compete on New York's rugged asphalt roads in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Forecasts indicate that participants will enjoy sunny skies during the race, with temperatures of 45 degrees expected in New York City's five boroughs at 8 a.m. and a high of 57 degrees at 3 p.m., according to Fox Weather.

It is assumed that the ideal running temperature is between 40 and 60 degrees.

“When temperatures are a little cooler, around 45 degrees, runners have been found to run faster and have a faster overall time,” Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen McCloud told The Post last year. “Cool weather favors runners.”

The day's festivities begin at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island when the professional wheelchair class kicks off at 8 a.m., followed by the handcycle category and select athletes with disabilities at 8:22 a.m.

The professional women's open division begins its race for glory at 8:35 a.m., while the professional men's division begins at 9:05 a.m

Five amateur waves start every 35 minutes from 9:10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m

NYC Marathon route

En route to Brooklyn, runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where they run approximately 11.5 miles through the borough before crossing into Queens and onto the Queensboro Bridge.

Once in Manhattan at mile marker 16, runners will traverse the Upper East Side on First Ave before running across the Harlem River for a short 1.5 mile run in the Bronx before returning to the island of Manhattan.

The final five miles take the course down Fifth Ave and into Central Park, where they cross the finish line and complete the grueling 26.2 mile race.

In April, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul scuppered a “cash grab” plan by the MTA that would charge marathon organizers a $750,000 toll for closing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during the world-famous race in wanted to invoice.

“I have directed the MTA to fix this mess and let the marathon continue as it always has,” Hochul told The Post at the time.

“The marathon is an iconic symbol of New York City’s perseverance and resilience, uniting communities across the five boroughs each fall.”

Defending NYC Marathon Champion

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri of Kenya will defend their titles after winning the 2023 marathon last year.

Tola set the course record of 2:04:58 with his victory and later won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 2:06:26.

“I’m looking forward to defending my title in New York, especially after an Olympic record-setting performance in the marathon,” Tola told WorldAthletics.org. “The hilly course and the crowds in Paris definitely prepared me well for the bridges and spectators in New York, where I may be able to go even faster this year.”

Tola faces stiff competition in the men's category as two-time Olympic medalist Bashir Abdi joins a crowded field of decorated runners that also includes three previous NYC Marathon winners, all from Kenya.

Evans Chebet, the 2022 winner, will be joined by his compatriots Albert Korir, the 2021 winner, and Geoffrey Kamworor, who won in 2017 and 2019.

In the women's event, Obiri, who won bronze at this year's Olympics, won her title in 2:27:23.

Last year, Obri became the first woman in 34 years to win the Boston Marathon and the NYC Marathon in the same calendar year. In April she defended her title in Boston.

“There is no better place than New York and I am so ready to defend my title,” Obiri told World Athletics. “I have been riding very well on the roads in the US and hope to have another good day of being in the race once we reach the final stage in Central Park.”

Obiri will be joined by her compatriots Sharon Lokedi, 2022 winner, and Edna Kiplagat, 2010 winner.

Queens resident Joel Kaufman returns to the course a year after making a name for himself with his placement – at the complete opposite end of Tola and Obiri's results list.

Kaufman's race time of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 34 seconds just after 8 p.m. made him the absolute last finisher of last year's event.

“The next day I got a call from the New York Road Runners,” Kaufman told the Post about the organization that runs the 26.2-mile race. “(They) said, 'You're the official final target.' I said, “This is so great.” “I got a title that no one can take away from me.” It's not like being the 57,000th finisher.”

Kaufman, who has run the race for the past decade to support people battling leukemia and lymphoma blood cancer, clocked a pace of 19 minutes, 59 seconds per mile.

The 66-year-old retired math teacher, who goes by “Whammy,” will be back for the marathon on Sunday – starting at 9:10 a.m. alongside the three-hour marathon runners, in a nod to his inspirational story.

Prominent participants in the NYC Marathon

The NYC Marathon is not just about high-profile competition, but also features a star-studded line-up of celebrities, including actors, singers, comedians, politicians and TV personalities.

Actors Randall Park, Nev Schulman, Claire Holt and Carrie St. Louis will all be running for various charities and organizations.

Schulman, the host of MTV's “Catfish,” is in the running despite breaking his neck in a bicycle accident in August and having to undergo emergency spinal surgery.

Former “GMA” hosts and lovers Amy Robach and TJ Holmes are tackling their second NYC marathon as a couple, while “The Jersey Shore”'s Vinny Guadagnino and a host of “The Bachelor” stars are in the running.

The 2023 marathon saw 51,453 participants from 148 countries finish and the average time was 4:39:47.

The race raised over $520 million for charities.