Your Destination Guide to New York City

The ING New York City Marathon is one of the greatest road races on Earth, attracting many professional athletes from all corners of world. The 26.2-mile course weaves through the five boroughs, ending next to old Tavern on the Green in New York's Central Park. So if you're in New York City during early November, definitely make a point to stand on the sidelines and shout words of encouragement to thousands of marathoners - you'll feel a sense of excitement, because even though you may not be running in the race, you're still part of it.

Check out the Empire State Building as it will be lit in orange in honor of the ING New York City Marathon.

If you're in NYC to cheer on a friend, make a sign so they know what to look for. With tens of thousands of spectators, it's hard for runners to spot folks on the sidelines.

Photo © SpecialKRB on Flickr

Best Places to Watch:

Mile 2: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Watch the runners come down the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge. Excellent views & limited crowds.

Miles 3–8: Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn. This part of the course offers 30 official entertainment spots, and gets quite packed. The loud music and lively crowds encourage the runners.

Miles 8–9: Fort Greene to Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The official cheering spot at the Brooklyn Academy of Music gets extremely crowded. So if you're in the mood for a tight-packed crowd and awesome music, this is your spot. Make sure to secure your location early!

Miles 10–12: Williamsburg, Brooklyn. McCarren Park on Bedford is the hot-spot in Williamsburg. It also gets quite crowded.

Miles 12–13: Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Both sides of the Pulaski Bridge get very crowded with local folks.

Miles 13–15: Queensboro Plaza. You'll find less densely-packed crowds here with easy subway access back into Manhattan.

Miles 15–16: Queensboro Bridge. The Queensboro bridge is closed to spectators, but it gets pretty packed on the streets leading up to the bridge. Make sure to secure your viewing spot early.

Miles 16–19: First Avenue, Manhattan. As some of the most crowded miles of the course, you'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with other spectators. however, watching runners come off the Queensboro Bridge is worth the crowds.

Miles 19–21: The Bronx. This is the best place to cheer on runners as they're hitting "the wall". Your encouragement will help tired-out marathoners as they run their 1 and only mile through the Bronx.

Miles 21–23: Harlem and North Central Park. This is a fun place to see elite athlete staging breakaways. It's not as crowded as the next couple of miles down the road.

Miles 23–24: Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. This is considered the hardest part of the race as there's a bit of an incline on fifth avenue. Your cheers will help the runners encouragement here.

Miles 24–26.2: Central Park and Central Park South, Manhattan. This is probably the busiest you'll find it. People wake up before the sun to camp out and watch the runners during the last, and hardest, mile of the race.

For more information, visit: www.nycmarathon.org/index.htm