Choosing between New York City Marathon and Zhengzhou 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 | Zhengzhou Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Next race | Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 9:10 am | Sunday, 18 October 2026 at 7:00 am |
| Elevation | Rolling with bridges - approx. 10m above sea level. ↑ 294 m · ↓ 292 m · net +2 m | Very flat - approx. 104m above sea level. ↑ 50 m · ↓ 50 m · net 0 m |
| Typical weather | Cool to mild autumn | Mild autumn |
| Typical participants | Approximately 56k finishers | Approximately 36k 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 Zhengzhou Marathon attracts approximately 36k finishers each October through Henan province's transport hub on the Yellow River. The course links the Zhengdong New Area CBD towers, Erqi Memorial Tower, and the Songshan foothills approach on wide Henan boulevards. October's mild central-China weather and a largely flat profile make it one of the country's fastest major mass-participation marathons.
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