The New York City Marathon is November 3, and one of the best ways to follow all the action is by downloading the How to Get Into the 2025 NYC Marathon from the Get Your Spot for the NYRR Brooklyn Half or These Celebs Ran the 2024 NYC Marathon. The app is truly the best and easiest way to track runners, view race results and, watch a livestream of all professional and open-division races in their entirety right from your phone.

Here’s how to use the app and how to get the most of all its new features.

How to Track Runners

Whether you’re running the race yourself or spectating, you likely have at least a handful of runners you want to follow. You can track the pace and elapsed time of racers in the open, wheelchair, and professional divisions. And there’s no limit to the number of individuals you can add to the tracker—that means no choosing between whether you want to keep tabs on your close friends, celebs, or pros.

Inside the App

Here’s how to use the app and how to get the most of all its new features Tracking from the menu in the top right corner of the app. Search for a participant by name or race bib number, and tap the + icon at the right of their name. As you add more runners to your tracker, they will display under the Tracking section of the app.

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You can set shortcuts for up to three of your most-used menu options on the app’s homepage. 
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Search for an athlete in any division by their name or race number to add them to your tracker. 

Once you have at least one participant added, you can dive into some of the cool new features. Tap the name of a racer in your tracker to open their Runner Details. From here, you have a bunch of fun options to interact through the app. Across the top, you’ll see popular selections:

  • Tap the Map option to see your runner’s position on the course
  • Select Photos to open the NYC website and search albums for race pics
  • Plan your stops along the course in Spectator Guide (Run the NYC Marathon With Runner’s World)
  • more on that below Share Tracking links

Using the Spectator Guide

Spectator Guide helps you navigate the five boroughs on race day so you can spot your runner multiple times along the course. It provides you with your runner’s estimated time of arrival at each mile marker, recommends top viewing locations, and even offers transportation directions so you can move between locations quickly. Once you’ve created your dream itinerary, you can share it with friends and family who’ve also downloaded the app.

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You can add up to three stops in your itinerary. 
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Tap the icon in the upper right corner to share your itinerary. 

Spectator Guide also tells you whether you’ll have enough time to travel from different viewing locations on the course. A mile marker will display in red if you won’t be able to make it between two locations before your runner passes.

Marathon Spectators Are The Heart of the Race!

Watching the Livestream

You can watch the pro races live through the NYC Marathon app. (And yes, it’s free!)

The “Second Screen” viewer also lets you follow multiple races at once. Simply swipe between live feeds to see the leaders in the men’s and women’s open and wheelchair divisions. Coverage of all four professional races will be uninterrupted in the app, so you won’t miss any important moves because of commercial breaks. On commentary will be Olympians Des Linden and Galen Rupp and ParalympianAmanda McGrory (which will be great at getting details on how the race is shaking out for those in the front).

You can also use the new Course Camera feature to watch a live feed from five course landmarks. You’ll be able to see your runner toe the starting line, cross the finish, and pass other locations along the way.

    Other Fun Extras

    If you need some downtime from spectating and cheering runners on the course, there are a few other cool features to explore in the NYC Marathon app. Create Belief Booster cards and share them on social media—don’t forget to tag your runner so they see you’re supporting them virtually, too!

      Headshot of Morgan Petruny

      DAA Industry Opt Out Runner’s World How to Prep for the 2025 NYC Marathon Starting Now The Warmup, Tap the icon in the upper right corner to share your itinerary.&nbsp RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.

      A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.