For the first time since 2011, the New York City Marathon course will undergo a modification, with runners on the Nov. 1 event traveling through a revised route in the Bronx designed to reduce disruptions for residents and businesses. The new course eliminates two turns in a section just over a mile long, decreasing the number of turns from seven to five.

Previously, the marathon route in the Bronx included a block around a Western Beef supermarket and a 24-hour laundromat on East 140th Street. This loop cut off those businesses from vehicle access and complicated pedestrian movement during much of the race day. The original course had runners proceeding north on Morris Avenue before turning left onto East 140th Street to circle the supermarket parking lot and then making another left onto Rider Avenue.

This arrangement created inconvenience for the local community, particularly residents of the nearby Patterson public housing complex with nearly 1,800 units located across Morris Avenue. Community members reported restricted access to essential services, with one longtime resident, Jennifer Alicea, describing the supermarket and laundromat as the only such services nearby, and acknowledging the disruptions as a “real inconvenience” on race day.

Under the new route, runners will remain on Alexander Avenue heading north past 138th Street, then continue to 141st Street before turning left onto Third Avenue. They will then turn right onto 138th Street, heading south, enabling them to proceed directly over the Madison Avenue Bridge back into Manhattan. This adjustment allows continuous access to the supermarket and laundromat during the marathon.

Ted Metellus, chief event production officer and race director for New York Road Runners, the organization responsible for the marathon, said restoring access to local businesses was the primary motivation for the change. Metellus, a Bronx native, noted the neighborhood’s residential growth has increased the impact of race-related closures, and his organization collaborated with city officials and community members to consider alternatives during the course recertification process this year.

Metellus emphasized the importance of accommodating residents in what he described as a food desert, noting that Sunday race schedules mean local errands are frequently conducted on race day. Observations made on the Saturday before the event showed steady pedestrian and vehicle traffic servicing the supermarket and laundromat.

Dante Williams, a regular laundromat user from the Fordham neighborhood, recounted the challenges the old route posed. On race day, he previously had to park blocks away and wait for a break in the runners to cross the course while carrying heavy laundry bags.

The revised segment occurs between Miles 20 and 21 and was one of two proposed options presented to the New York City Police Department for approval. Metellus said the organization advocated for implementing the change for the 50th anniversary of the five-borough marathon. He also provided historical context, recalling that the original Bronx section of the marathon included only a brief loop in 1976 before the borough president requested an expanded route to increase distance in the Bronx in subsequent years.