NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Many in the running community call Tuesday "Marathon Lottery Day" -- the day that thousands of runners get word that they've been accepted into the TCS New York City Marathon, the world's largest.
New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, announced that 19,083 runners were accepted through the lottery out of 82,172 applicants, or about 23 percent. NYRR said that the number of applicants increased 33 percent over 2015.
Thousands of other runners gain entry through other ways, such as professional and sub-elite invitations, time qualification, charity team slots, international travel-and-race packages, a program for NYRR members, and more.
The race is set for Sunday, November 6, 2016. The five-borough 26.2-mile race starts on the Verrazano –Narrows Bridge in Staten Island and ends near Tavern on the Green in Central Park in Manhattan. About 50,000 runners from more than 125 counties are expected to finish, NYRR said.