New York City Marathon 2014: Route information, course map and more

The 2013-14 World Marathon Majors championship will wrap up on Sunday with the 44th running of the New York City Marathon. It’s one of the six World Marathon Majors courses (alongside Tokyo, Berlin, London, Chicago and Boston), and it promises to be plenty exciting as it boasts a crowded field of top-flight runners on both the men’s and the women’s sides.

Geoffrey Mutai, Wilson Kipsang, Meb Keflezighi and Lelisa Desis are just a few of the big names in the running. Mutai has won the last two times the event was held, setting the course record in 2011 and outpacing everyone with a brilliant finish in 2013 (the race was cancelled for the first time in 2012, due to Hurricane Sandy).

The marathon begins on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and will finish in Central Park after 26.2 miles. All five boroughs will be covered by the race. We’ve got a full look at the route below, courtesy of the official website.

The elevation is also a pertinent aspect of the race. The profile doesn’t feature too many prominent slopes, but we’ve got a look at it below, also via the official website (go here for a larger picture):

The marathon will begin early Sunday morning, though the professionals won’t get underway until 9:10 a.m. ET. That’s when the professional women get started, followed by another four waves (which include the professional men). ESPN2 will carry coverage of the race from 9 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., and online coverage will be provided by WatchESPN.