With 59,226 finishers in 2025, the New York City Marathon is the biggest in the world. Starting on the iconic Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn, the marathon passes through all five of New York City’s boroughs before steering toward the famed Central Park finish line. The cheering crowds are legendary, the shiny finisher medal is highly coveted, and the racing experience is forever memorable.Unfortunately, all the things that make the New York City Marathon wonderful, also make it very popular. So popular that of the thousands of runners who enter the lottery this year trying to earn a spot, only about one percent actually secured a bib. And while there are other ways to get in beyond the lottery, it still leaves thousands of runners without a place on the starting line in November.But we have good news!…