The annual New York City Marathon kicks off on Sunday, November 4th, and it’s expected to be yet another world-class race. Last year, over 50,000 people completed the entire marathon, taking an average of four hours and 39 minutes to do so, and this year I’m throwing my hat into the ring. After many weeks of whipping myself into shape I’m ready to tackle the streets of NYC with tens of thousands of others, and even if you’re not participating in the event (or even physically here in New York) you can follow along with me or any other racer you want to keep your eye on, right from your smartphone screen.

All you have to do is download the official NYC Marathon app on either iOS or Android, input the bib number of the racers you want to follow – mine is 61033 – and the app will give you real-time race updates when each athlete passes through a checkpoint. It’s super easy to use, and you can follow multiple racers at once to see how all your favorite athletes are progressing.

If you’re also planning on watching the race live, either in person or on television, here’s the schedule for when each wave of the race will begin. All times are Eastern:

  • 8:30 a.m. Professional Wheelchair Division
  • 8:52 a.m. Achilles Handcycle Category and Select Athletes with Disabilities
  • 8:55 a.m. Foot Locker Five-Borough Challenge
  • 9:20 a.m. Professional Women
  • 9:50 a.m. Wave 1 (including Professional Men)
  • 10:15 a.m.Wave 2
  • 10:40 a.m. Wave 3
  • 11:00 a.m. Wave 4

If you’re in New York, you’ll be able to catch the race coverage locally on WABC-TV. For the rest of the United States, ESPN2 is going to be your go-to for all race coverage, starting at 9 a.m. ET and going all the way until just past midnight.

I’ll see you out there!