Choosing between New York City Marathon and Osaka Marathon? This page puts the essentials side by side — next race date, elevation, typical weather, field size, and entry difficulty — with a short overview of each course below.
The headline differences between both races. Follow each marathon link for the full route map, elevation chart, and entry details.
| Detail | New York City Marathon | Osaka Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Next race | Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 9:10 am | Sunday, 28 February 2027 at 9:15 am |
| Elevation | Rolling with bridges - approx. 10m above sea level. ↑ 294 m · ↓ 292 m · net +2 m | Mostly flat with gentle undulations - approx. 4m above sea level. ↑ 21 m · ↓ 21 m · net 0 m |
| Typical weather | Cool to mild autumn | Cool and humid winter |
| Typical participants | Approximately 56k finishers | Approximately 32k finishers |
| Entry difficulty | Very competitive | Competitive |
The TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world, taking runners through all five boroughs — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. The course crosses five bridges and finishes in Central Park, delivering an unmatched big-city marathon experience.
The Osaka Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons, drawing approximately 32k finishers on an urban road in Osaka, Japan. The course starts and finishes at Osaka Castle Park. The route passes Osaka Castle, Nakanoshima, Umeda, and Namba through central Osaka. Mostly flat with gentle undulations on bridge approaches over the city's rivers.
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