NYC Marathon Adds Para Podium Rankings
New York Road Runners introduces first-time competitive placements for Para athletes in five World Para Athletics categories.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Running
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The New York City Marathon is adding podium rankings for Para athletes for the first time, with first, second, and third place awarded in each category for men and women. Athletes with disabilities in five World Para Athletics categories will race for placements, though no prize money will be offered in the Para categories.
Why it matters
New York Road Runners says the change aims to give athletes with disabilities more meaningful chances to compete against others with similar disabilities. The move follows Boston and Chicago, which previously introduced Para athletic categories.
Five World Para Athletics categories will award first through third place for men and women, with Nicole Ver Kuilen targeting a finish under four hours after recently finishing a marathon in Eugene, Ore., about two minutes over her goal.
The players
New York Road Runners
The New York-based nonprofit that organizes the New York City Marathon and introduced the Para athletic categories as a pilot.
Nicole Ver Kuilen
A Para athlete who will run the New York City Marathon on a prosthesis and has set a goal of finishing in under four hours.
The details
Para athletes with low vision or other disabilities will compete in categories covering low vision and blind, intellectual and developmental disability, coordination difficulties, lower limb disability, and upper limb disability. Nicole Ver Kuilen will run on a prosthesis with Dani Aravich as her support runner.
Timeline
2026: Para podium categories debut at the New York City Marathon for the first time.
Season Trajectory
The New York City Marathon's addition of Para podium categories follows Boston and Chicago, which introduced similar divisions earlier. The move extends a pattern of major marathons formalizing competitive opportunities for athletes with disabilities.
Runners and fans tracking the New York City Marathon can now follow Para athletes' placements in five categories for men and women. Athletes competing without prize money in these divisions will be recognized through first, second, and third place rankings.
The takeaway
Expanded podium categories give Para athletes clearer benchmarks for competing against peers with similar disabilities. Watching how these divisions develop in New York will show whether other major races follow the same model.
Further reading
For more on competitive racing, explore Running coverage in New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The New York Times.
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