Adrenaline and block party vibes have a way of carrying runners during the first half of the marathon, but eventually the slog of running 26.2 miles starts to kick in.
Here are the most common places where people hit the dreaded wall or otherwise struggle in the back half of the race, according to runners and data from the fitness app Strava that was shared with The New York Times.
The Queensboro Bridge
Around Mile 15, runners take on a crowdless and near-silent lumber across the Queensboro Bridge, a notoriously difficult section of the race because it involves so much uphill relatively late in the race.
For Ameerah Omar, a co-captain of the running club Girls Run NYC who has completed the marathon four times, the bridge is the hardest part of the race because of the sudden absence of spectators for an extended stretch of the course.
“You are left with your mind and your training, and that can be very challenging,” Ms. Omar said. The 45-year-old Brooklyn resident adds, “The energy of the crowd is not there for that one moment and you are kind of just left with yourself.”
Amir Figueroa, 42, who is running his sixth New York City Marathon, said that the bridge is a predictive point in the race.
“I know if I’m going to have a good marathon, I feel good at that point,” Mr. Figueroa said. “If I start breaking down, I know the last half is going to be horrible.”
First Avenue
Runners descend from the Queensboro Bridge into a sea of fans as they make their way up First Avenue. The sudden return of cheerleaders, however, isn’t enough to push some marathoners through.
About 200 runners exited the race between Mile 18 and the 30K marker at about 18.6 miles — not long after the bridge — during last year’s marathon, which was the highest number of runners to exit the race for any section of the course, according to the New York Road Runners, which puts on the marathon.
On average, runners slowed down about 16 percent at Mile 20 relative to their paces over the first 8 miles of the race during the 2025 marathon, toward the end of First Avenue heading into the Bronx, making for a substantive drop, according to data from Strava. Strava said more than 35,000 New York City Marathon runners logged the 2025 race on the app.
Connie Brown, an 82 year old from Sarasota, Florida, who is set to run her 46th New York City Marathon and holds the female record for the most New York City Marathon runs, said that the last seven miles are the hardest and denote the true halfway point of the race.
“You get it in your head that you’re almost there, but you’re not,” Ms. Brown said.
Fifth Avenue
For some runners, the Queensboro climb is not as demanding as the deceivingly steep stretch on Fifth Avenue around Mile 24.
“It’s just a slow gradual climb,” said Jeff Thies, a 31-year-old Greenpoint resident who is running in the sub-elite field in his fourth New York City Marathon. He added, “Everyone’s legs are screaming at them.”
Strava data shows runners slowed down about 21 percent at Mile 24, making for the biggest drop across the length of the course.
It Can Happen Anywhere
Runners are bound to find trouble somewhere along the course, said Rich Campbell, a 69-year-old resident of the Upper West Side who has run every New York City Marathon since 1999. He also noted the difficulty of the end of the First Avenue stretch.
“Almost every runner has some issue along the 26 miles, whether it’s in Mile 1 or Mile 25” Mr. Campbell said. “And that’s just part of the nature of the marathon. It’s a long event. So you have to just know that you can get through it, however you need to get through it.”
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