NYC Marathon prize money totals $969,000 in guaranteed awards, according to NPR, with $100,000 for each open division winner. Most of the field pays for the privilege of running: entry costs $255 for New York Road Runners (NYRR) members and $315 for non-member US residents in 2026, and the 2026 drawing accepted about 1% of more than 240,000 applicants.
This explainer sets the elite payouts beside what amateurs pay. It also flags where the public record stops. NYRR, the nonprofit organizer, has not published its entry-fee revenue, so no total can be sourced.
- The guaranteed purse is $969,000; the open division winners each receive $100,000, and each wheelchair winner received $50,000 in 2025.
- A $50,000 bonus goes to a race winner who breaks the event record, so a record-setting winner can take $150,000 (Hopone calculation).
- The 2026 entry fee is $255 for NYRR members, $315 for non-member US residents and $358 for non-US residents, all non-refundable.
- Drawing odds fell from about 12% in 2022 to about 1% in 2026, according to figures compiled by Marathon Ballot and Runsy.
- NYRR has not published entry-fee revenue, so any total for fees is an estimate, not a reported number.
The $969,000 purse pays $100,000 to each open winner
The open division pays the same amounts to men and women. According to the NYRR event page, first place receives $100,000 and second $60,000. Third receives $40,000, fourth $25,000 and fifth $15,000.
Sixth through tenth place receive $10,000, $7,500, $5,000, $2,500 and $2,000. Only runners in the Professional/Invited Athlete start are eligible, and finish order is decided by gun time. A runner must finish in 3:10 or faster to be eligible for prize money in any category.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $100,000 |
| 2nd | $60,000 |
| 3rd | $40,000 |
| 4th | $25,000 |
| 5th | $15,000 |
| 6th | $10,000 |
| 7th | $7,500 |
| 8th | $5,000 |
| 9th | $2,500 |
| 10th | $2,000 |
The ten places add up to $267,000 per gender, or $534,000 for men and women together (Hopone calculation). That matches the open division total listed by RunRepeat.
USA Division: $25,000 for the first American
A separate USA Division pays $25,000 for first, $15,000 for second, $10,000 for third, $5,000 for fourth and $3,000 for fifth, according to RunRepeat. That is $116,000 across both genders, the total RunRepeat states. Legit.ng reports that athletes must hold US citizenship, must not be eligible to represent another federation and must start in the Professional/Invited start.
Under NYRR prize money policy, a runner who qualifies in several categories is paid only the highest amount, unless otherwise noted. The USA Division is therefore not an automatic add-on to an open division placing.
Wheelchair division: $50,000 for the winner
NPR reported that each wheelchair winner received $50,000 in 2025, the largest wheelchair prize in race history. NYRR's 2026 page lists $50,000 for first, $25,000 for second, $20,000 for third, $15,000 for fourth, $10,000 for fifth and $5,000 for sixth.
That is a rise from earlier years. The New York Times reported in November 2023 that wheelchair winners received $35,000 each, which was $10,000 more than in 2022. Winners' prizes in the wheelchair division have therefore doubled from $25,000 in 2022 to $50,000 in 2025 (Hopone calculation).
The three tables above, with the wheelchair scale applied to both genders, total about $900,000 (Hopone calculation). The sources reviewed do not itemize the remaining $69,000 of the $969,000 purse.
A $50,000 record bonus lifts a winner's check to $150,000
NYRR pays a $50,000 bonus to open and wheelchair division race winners who break, not tie, the event record on gun time. The bonus is limited to race winners. Current records, per NYRR, are 2:04:58 for men (Tamirat Tola, 2023) and 2:19:51 for women (Hellen Obiri, 2025).
Wheelchair records are 1:25:26 for men (Marcel Hug, 2022) and 1:39:32 for women (Catherine Debrunner, 2023). Marathon Handbook says Obiri earned the $50,000 bonus for her 2025 record. Combined with the $100,000 winner's prize, that came to $150,000 (Hopone calculation).
New York pays less to winners than Boston, and far less in bonuses than London
The Boston Globe reported in April 2025 that Boston champions receive $150,000, the highest first-place mark among the World Marathon Majors. It put Boston's base cash awards at $1,037,500, with $103,500 in bonuses available.
The same report said Chicago and New York have historically tied for second at $100,000. Tenth place in Boston earns $5,500, against $2,000 in New York. For the full Boston structure, see Boston Marathon prize money.
London pays less to winners but more for fast times. Eastern Eye reports a 2025 prize pool of £243,000 per elite race category, with $55,000 (£44,000) for first, $30,000 (£23,100) for second and $22,500 (£17,400) for third.
| Race | Winner | Bonus structure |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $100,000 | $50,000 for a course record |
| Boston | $150,000 | $103,500 in bonuses available |
| London (2025) | $55,000 (£44,000) | $150,000 for men under 2:02 or women under 2:15; $125,000 for a world record; $25,000 for a course record |
Amateurs pay $255 to $358 to enter, and the fee is not refundable
For 2026, Legit.ng reports entry fees of $255 for NYRR members, $315 for non-member US residents and $358 for non-US residents. Charity partner pages, including The Fresh Air Fund, confirm $255 for members and $315 for non-members.
Legit.ng also quotes all-in totals of $269.66 for members and $333.11 for non-members. NYRR's event page shows an entry-fee range of $0.00 to $333.11. Commonpoint says registration fees are subject to an $11 processing fee. The sources do not itemize the rest of the difference between the base fee and the all-in total.
Fees cannot be recovered. NYRR's drawing page says applying authorizes a non-refundable entry fee charge on acceptance. It adds that all fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and that the full fee is charged immediately on acceptance.
International runners: a tour operator lists a $660 entry fee
Non-US residents can book a package with guaranteed entry through an Official International Tour Operator, according to NYRR. Packages can include hotel and/or flights. Tour operator Marathon Tours & Travel lists a $660 race entry fee, with guaranteed entry available only to Seven Continents Club members.
The lottery has tightened from about 12% odds to about 1%
NYRR received more than 240,000 applications from over 160 countries for the 2026 race, a near-20% increase on 2025, according to an NYRR release. About 1% were accepted. Applications ran from February 4 to 25, and the drawing took place on March 4, 2026.
One percent of 240,000 is about 2,400 places (Hopone calculation). That is consistent with the roughly 2,400 non-guaranteed places Marathon Ballot cites for 2026. Most of the field is filled through guaranteed routes, charity entries and tour operators.
| Year | Applicants | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | about 84,000 | about 12% |
| 2023 | more than 128,000 | about 5% |
| 2024 | nearly 165,000 | about 4% |
| 2025 | more than 200,000 | about 3% |
| 2026 | more than 240,000 | about 1% |
The 2022 and 2023 figures come from Marathon Ballot. The 2024 and 2026 figures are NYRR numbers as compiled by Runsy. The 2025 figure is from NPR. The 5% rate often quoted online matches roughly 2023, not current odds.
Entries are filled through three drawings: NYC metro (within 60 miles), national US and international, per NYRR. A member second-chance drawing entered about 24,000 eligible members, with up to 2% accepted, according to Endurance.biz.
Demand at this scale also feeds secondary markets; see race bib resale market risks. For another oversubscribed draw, see Paris Marathon lottery odds.
Charity and 9+1 entries fill most of the field outside the drawing
NPR describes the 9+1 program as nine qualifying NYRR races plus one volunteer shift, which guarantees entry to the following year's marathon. Charity entry is the other main route. Several official partners list a $3,000 fundraising minimum, including The Fresh Air Fund, Cure CMD and the NYRR Team for Kids general entry tier.
Other teams set minimums from $3,500 to $10,000, according to Marathon Ballot. The registration fee is paid separately, on top of the fundraising.
NYRR said more than 14,000 charity runners raised a record $80 million for over 600 charities in 2025. For 2026 it expanded to more than 670 charities, with a goal above $100 million.
What entry fees mean next to the purse
The 2025 race had a world-record 59,226 finishers, according to NYRR. Multiplying that by the $255 member fee gives about $15.1 million (Hopone calculation). That is a scale reference only: fees vary by tier, and charity, guaranteed and international entries pay differently. On that rough scale, the $969,000 purse is under 7% of the figure (Hopone calculation).
NYRR describes itself as a nonprofit serving nearly half a million New Yorkers annually through races and community programs. Hopone found no published figure for its entry-fee revenue.
The $11 charge on drawing applications has a documented history. The New York Times reported in 2016 that anyone registering for the lottery paid a non-refundable $11 fee, which an NYRR spokesman called a processing fee. According to KSL, plaintiffs in a lawsuit estimated NYRR took in about $5 million in such fees from 2010 to 2015. That is an estimate by plaintiffs, not an NYRR figure.
Hopone found no source confirming whether a drawing-entry fee is charged today. Any multi-million dollar estimate of current application revenue would be unsourced.
Which marathon has the largest prize money?
Boston pays the highest first-place check among the Majors at $150,000, according to the Boston Globe. London offers the largest single bonus, $150,000 for men under 2:02 or women under 2:15, according to Eastern Eye. New York pays $100,000 to winners.
How much do professional marathon runners get paid in New York?
Open division winners receive $100,000 each, and second place receives $60,000. A winner who breaks the event record adds a $50,000 bonus, for $150,000 in total (Hopone calculation). Each wheelchair winner received $50,000 in 2025.
What are the odds of getting into the NYC Marathon through the lottery?
About 1% in 2026, when more than 240,000 people applied, according to NYRR. Odds were about 3% in 2025, according to NPR, and about 4% in 2024, according to NYRR figures compiled by Runsy. Guaranteed routes such as 9+1 and charity entry sit outside the drawing.
Is the NYC Marathon entry fee refundable?
No. NYRR says all fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and the full fee is charged immediately on acceptance.
Sources
- NPR: Kenyan runners win men's and women's races in New York City Marathon
- New York Road Runners: TCS New York City Marathon
- NYRR: Prize Money Policies
- NYRR: The Drawing, Non-Guaranteed General Entry Drawing
- RunRepeat: Prize Money for Marathons
- Legit.ng: Everything to know about the New York City Marathon 2026
- The New York Times: How Much Prize Money Will the NYC Marathon Winners Get?
- Marathon Handbook: 2026 NYC Marathon Guide
- The Boston Globe: How much money do Boston Marathon winners get?
- Eastern Eye: London Marathon 2025
- Commonpoint: TCS New York City Marathon
- The Fresh Air Fund: 2026 NYC Marathon
- Marathon Tours & Travel: New York City Marathon
- KSL: 2 Utah men sue NYC Marathon over lottery that picks runners
- Running Review Magazine: NYRR sets record with 240,000 applications for 2026 TCS New York City Marathon drawing
- Endurance.biz: Record 240,000 applications for 2026 TCS New York City Marathon
- Runsy: NYC Marathon lottery
- NPR: Running the New York City Marathon lottery and bib runners
- Marathon Ballot: NYC Marathon lottery odds
This article was written with AI by the Hopone Newsroom, from the sources it cites. Figures marked “Hopone calculation” are our own arithmetic from those sources. Nothing here is investment advice.