“It’s the only time that people could care less that they can’t cross the street or drive their car,” one exec said.
If you live (almost) anywhere in New York City, you’ll be hard-pressed to go about your day as usual on Sunday. That’s because the TCS New York City Marathon will, for the 50th time, take over streets spanning all five boroughs.
Ordinarily, closed streets and crowded subway cars mean a whole lot of angry New Yorkers. But on marathon Sunday, the vibe is anything but hostile.
“It is officially and unofficially the best day in New York,” Juliette Morris, chief marketing and digital officer of New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit behind the marathon, told Marketing Brew. “It’s the only time that people could care less that they can’t cross the street or drive their car. People are so invested in it and the spirit the race brings to the city…We want people out there.”
To be sure that cheering reaches maximum volume over the weekend, NYRR has been running a marketing campaign not only to drive awareness for this year’s marathon but also to promote subsequent NYRR races and running in general.
Touch grass pavement
What better place to advertise a marathon than outside? Naturally, out-of-home activations account for a significant chunk of NYRR’s 2026 marathon marketing, including double-decker branded buses, street pole banners, subway ads, digital taxi-top ads, and other digital OOH signage.
“It’s to get the message to New Yorkers where they are every day—commuting, walking on the streets—and…to create that excitement, that tune-in, that spectator activity,” Morris said.
From Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, NYRR is also bringing the marathon experience inside Grand Central with a pop-up featuring a sign-making station and an interactive miniature version of the course that people can walk through.
The activations are tied to NYRR’s brand platform “Believe in Every Step,” which first rolled out alongside a rebrand early this year. The first official ad spot under the platform is set to air during the marathon broadcast on ESPN and ABC7 New York, Morris said. When the marathon ends, the OOH media will transition to creative assets from “Believe in Every Step” to continue the campaign beyond the marathon itself, she added.
Posted up
As part of its promotional push, NYRR has also been releasing social content, like course breakdowns and runner spotlights. The organization has tapped influencers as part of its social strategy for a few years, Morris told us, though perhaps not with the same fervor as some other brand marketers.
“We’re very discerning and particular about how we work with influencers,” she said.
So far, NYRR has largely worked with local accounts like Bronx Nativeand Little Kid Big City to drive awareness and sign-ups for its open runs and youth programs, Morris said, adding that she’s clocked registration increases immediately after influencers post about NYRR programs. NYRR is gearing up to announce two additional influencer programs, she said, but for now, the organization isn’t sharing further details.
Go for gold
Even the NYC Marathon medal is a “branding opportunity” for NYRR, Morris said, and the NYRR team starts working on the design more than a year in advance of each race, meaning the 2027 medal is already in the works.
For 2026, which marks the 50th anniversary of the marathon’s five-boro course, the design team went through around two dozen different versions before landing on the final design, which features the Statue of Liberty surrounded by textured engravings of the New York City skyline.
“We love the architectural, sculptural feel of it,” Morris said. “We love the layering that evokes the growth of the five boroughs, but also the uniqueness of each.”
The ribbon includes the names of all five boroughs and a “’70s feel in terms of colors,” she said, a tribute to the first year of the five-boro course in 1976.
Not all NYRR races come with such a flashy prize, but with interest in running skyrocketing in recent years, the organization sees the marathon as a way to celebrate finishers while also reminding runners and spectators that 26.2 miles isn’t the only distance that makes a runner.
“We use it as a launchpad to bring awareness to all the other things that New York Road Runners is doing,” Morris said. “There’s no better moment where we have more visibility to help promote all the other things that we’re doing across the five boroughs all the remaining 364 days a year.”
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