Ways To Watch The NYC Marathon

The New York City Marathon will take place this Sunday, Nov. 1. Coincidentally, it falls this year the day after Halloween andright after we gain an extra hour from Daylight Saving. So if you're one of the many who will be sleeping off the night before, nursing a hangover, or finishing off leftover candy, you may not make it to First Avenue or the Queensboro Bridge to spectate. Have no fear! If you're wondering how to watch the New York Marathon on TV, you've got plenty of options.

If you're in the New York City area and have cable, you can tune to Channel 7 where ABC will be airing the pre-show and the marathon itself. The pre-show will run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by the race from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ABC will also be offering a live-streaming option on their website, ABC7NY.com, and on their app.

ESPN2 will also be airing the marathon, in case you're not located in the Tri-State area. You can watch most of the marathon that way, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will also be a Spanish broadcast at the same time on ESPN Deportes+. If you want to keep watching, switch to ESPN3, either on TV or on a compatible device like a SmartTV or Xbox, until 5 p.m.

If you're outside the country but have your heart set on catching the race, ABC's global broadcast partners will in fact be showing the marathon from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's not too surprising, considering the marathon is an international event that brings over 250,000 visitors from out of town each November. Check your local listings if this applies to you.

Unless you're a naturally early riser on Sundays, you may not be planning on waking at the crack of dawn — or 9 a.m., whatever — to watch the race from the very beginning. For those of you out there who just want to catch some action, 11 a.m. is a good bet on when you can catch the first runners cross the finish line in Central Park. This is my own rough estimate, so don't hate me if you wind up missing the big finish. But last year's winners Wilson Kipsang of Kenya and Lelisa Desisa Benti of Ethiopia completed the entire marathon in a little over two hours and 10 minutes. If this year's winners end up with similar times, they should be slated to finish around 11 a.m., just over two hours into the race. Save your candy corn for then!

Images: Getty