Central Park, Oct 31–Nov 6: marathon weekend has perfect weather, then an unseasonable 70° week

        Marathon weekend, and the forecast has turned generous. Sunday is 61° and mostly sunny with no rain at all — near-ideal racing weather, and a correction to what I told you last week. Then the park gets an extraordinary stretch for November: 66°, 67°, 70°, 71°, before rain arrives Thursday.

Weather this week — and a correction

Today 58° and sunny. Sunday 61°, mostly sunny, 0% rain. Monday 66°, Tuesday 67°, Wednesday 70°, Thursday 71° with showers at 49%, Friday 69° with storms likely.

Last week I said 69° would be warm for a marathon and to plan hydration accordingly. The forecast has come down to 61° and dry, which is close to perfect — if you are racing Sunday, that advice no longer applies. 61° is what runners hope for.

Sat Oct 31 — Dash day

Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K runs the Ted Corbitt Loop 8:45–11 AM, with the finish holding Grand Army Plaza from 8 AM. The loop is out all morning.

After it clears, 58° and sunny with everything else well away from the course:

  Woodland Walk: The North Woods, 10 AM from Dana Discovery Center.
  Conservatory Garden Tour at 11 AM.
  Seneca Village Tour at 2 PM.
  Model Yacht Racing at Kerbs 9 AM–3 PM; UnityMarketsNY at Farmers’ Gate 9–7.

It is also Halloween, and the park has no Halloween event on its calendar at all. East Meadow closed; 20 private bookings.

Sun Nov 1, 8 AM–5 PM — the TCS New York City Marathon

55,000 runners, finishing in Central Park, under a clear 61° sky. The biggest day of the park’s year, with the best weather it could have asked for.

The loop is gone 8 AM to 5 PM. Two ways to spend it:

  Watch. The finish area around Tavern on the Green, or the last mile up East Drive. Late afternoon, when the slower runners come through, is the part worth staying for.
  Avoid it entirely. Go north — the Ravine, the Loch and the North Woods are nowhere near the course and are among the quietest places in the city on marathon Sunday.

The International Folkdancers hold King Jagiello Plaza 11 AM–3 PM, shortened from their usual six hours. East Meadow closed.

Mon Nov 2 – Wed Nov 4 — the park comes back, and it is 70°

The race is over and the drives reopen. The marathon’s build-out permit technically runs to November 10, so there will be trailers and fencing coming down across the west side all week — but the roads are yours again from Monday.

And the weather is absurd for November: 66°, 67°, then 70° on Wednesday. Almost nothing is booked. A CP Sports mini-camp on South Dead Road Tuesday morning, Little Warrior Soccer at North Reservoir Wednesday afternoon, and that is the entire public calendar.

Monday through Wednesday is the best riding and walking of the month, and it will not repeat.

Thu Nov 5 – Fri Nov 6 — warm, then wet

Thursday is 71° with a 49% shower chance; Friday 69° with thunderstorms likely at 58%. The warmest days of the week are also the wettest.

Friday morning, before the weather turns: Woodland Walk: The Ramble, 10 AM from Belvedere Castle, and the Iconic Views tour at 2 PM.

Steady all week

  Bethesda Terrace and Fountain — closed all day, every day. The permits now run to November 30, an eleventh extension. That is the whole of November.
  New Dendrology at the Arsenal Gallery, weekdays 9–5, free; Wreath Interpretations Open Call at the Arsenal.
  Bird Watching with Birding Bob rotating: Loeb Boathouse this weekend and Thursday, Strawberry Fields Monday, Conservatory Garden Friday.
  Field permits have dropped to 66 for the week, 61 of them at North Meadow. The league season is winding down.
  No play on the Great Lawn for a fourteenth week.

Quick recap

  Sunday is 61° and dry for the marathon — I said 69° last week; the forecast improved and it is now near-perfect.
  Today: Dash 5K, loop out 8–11 AM.
  Sunday: the marathon, 8 AM–5 PM. Watch at Tavern on the Green, or go north for quiet.
  Monday the drives reopen, and Monday–Wednesday hits 70° — the best stretch left this year.
  Thursday and Friday are warm and wet, storms likely Friday.
  Bethesda Terrace closed through November 30.

Have a good marathon weekend,
Central Park Guide