NYRR Turns the NYC Marathon Into a 50th-Anniversary Marketing Engine

New York Road Runners is spending the 50th running of the TCS New York City Marathon as a full-funnel campaign — one built to keep working the other 364 days of the year.

"There's no better moment where we have more visibility to help promote all the other things that we're doing across the five boroughs all the remaining 364 days a year," Juliette Morris, chief marketing and digital officer of NYRR, the nonprofit behind the marathon, told Marketing Brew.

The race takes over streets across all five boroughs on Sunday, and Morris wants the city loud. "It is officially and unofficially the best day in New York," she said. "It's the only time that people could care less that they can't cross the street or drive their car. People are so invested in it and the spirit the race brings to the city…We want people out there."

Where is the campaign running?

Mostly outdoors. Out-of-home activations take a significant chunk of NYRR's 2026 marathon marketing budget, including:

• double-decker branded buses
• street pole banners
• subway ads
• digital taxi-top ads
• other digital OOH signage

"It's to get the message to New Yorkers where they are every day—commuting, walking on the streets—and…to create that excitement, that tune-in, that spectator activity," Morris said.

From Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, NYRR also brings the marathon inside Grand Central Terminal with a pop-up featuring a sign-making station and an interactive miniature version of the course visitors can walk through.

The activations tie to NYRR's brand platform, "Believe in Every Step," which launched with a rebrand early this year. The first official ad spot under the platform airs during the marathon broadcast on ESPN and ABC7 New York, Morris said. Once the race ends, the OOH media transitions to "Believe in Every Step" creative to extend the campaign past race day.

How does NYRR use influencers?

Carefully, and mostly locally. NYRR has worked influencers into its social strategy for a few years — alongside organic content like course breakdowns and runner spotlights — but Morris is picky about partners.

"We're very discerning and particular about how we work with influencers," she said.

So far the organization has worked with local accounts such as Bronx Native and Little Kid Big City to drive awareness and sign-ups for its open runs and youth programs. Morris said she's tracked registration jumps immediately after influencers post about NYRR programs. Two additional influencer programs are coming, though NYRR isn't sharing details yet.

What about the medal?

Even the finisher medal is a branding play. The design team starts more than a year ahead of each race — the 2027 medal is already in the works — and for 2026, marking 50 years of the five-borough course, the team went through roughly two dozen versions before landing on a Statue of Liberty design framed by textured engravings of the city skyline.

"We love the architectural, sculptural feel of it," Morris said. "We love the layering that evokes the growth of the five boroughs, but also the uniqueness of each."

The ribbon lists all five boroughs' names in a "'70s feel in terms of colors," a nod to the first five-boro course in 1976.

With running interest climbing in recent years, NYRR treats the marathon as a launchpad, not a finish line — a reminder that 26.2 miles isn't the only distance that makes a runner.