More than 50,000 runners from around the world have made their way to the Big Apple and are set to hit the bumpy asphalt streets of New York on Sunday for the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon.

Forecasts indicate that competitors will be treated to sunny skies during the race and will experience temperatures of 45 degrees at 8 a.m., with a high of 57 degrees expected at 3 p.m. across the five boroughs of New York City. according to Fox Weather.

Perfect operating temperatures are believed to be between 40 and 60 degrees.

“If the temperatures are a little cooler, around 45 degrees, runners have been found to run faster and have a faster overall time,” said Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen McCloud. said The Post last year. “Cold weather favors runners.”

The day’s festivities begin in Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island when the starting gun goes off for the professional wheelchair division at 8 a.m., followed by the handbike and select disabled athletes at 8:22 a.m.

The women’s pro open division starts its race for glory at 8:35am and the men’s pro kicks off at 9:05am.

Five amateur waves start every 35 minutes, starting at 9.10am and ending at 11.30am

NYC Marathon Course

Runners will cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on their way to Brooklyn, where they will run about 11 1/2 miles through the borough before crossing into Queens and ending up on the Queensboro Bridge.

Once in Manhattan at mile marker 16, runners will travel through the Upper East Side on First Ave before crossing the Harlem River for a short 1.5 mile run into the Bronx before returning to Manhattan Island.

The final five miles see the course descend Fifth Ave and into Central Park, where they will cross the finish line, completing the grueling 26.2 mile race.

In April, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul scrapped a “cash grab” plan from the MTA that sought to charge the marathon organizers a fee of 750,000 dollars for closing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during the world-famous race.

“I have directed the MTA to fix this mess and allow the marathon to move forward as it always has.” Hochul told The Post at the time.

“The marathon is an iconic symbol of New York City’s tenacity and resilience that unites the communities of the five boroughs every fall.”

Defending NYC Marathon Champions

Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri from Kenya they will defend their titles after winning the 2023 marathon last year.

Tola set the course record of 2:04:58 in his victory and later won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 2:06:26.

“I’m excited to defend my title in New York, especially after an Olympic record marathon performance,” said Tola. WorldAthletics.org. “The hilly ride and the crowds in Paris definitely prepared me well for the bridges and spectators in New York, where I can maybe go even faster this year.”

Tola faces tough competition in the men’s category, as two-time Olympic medalist Bashir Abdi joins a crowded group of decorated runners that includes three NYC Marathon winners, all from Kenya.

Evans Chebet, the 2022 champion, is joined by compatriots Albert Korir, the 2021 winner, and Geoffrey Kamworor, who won in 2017 and 2019.

In the women’s race, Obiri, who won bronze at this year’s Olympics, won the title in 2:27:23.

Last year, Obri became the first woman in 34 years to win the Boston Marathon and the NYC Marathon in the same calendar year. She defended her title in Boston in April.

“There’s no place like New York and I’m so ready to defend my title,” Obiri told World Athletics. “I raced very well on the roads in the USA and hopefully I can have another good day that will see me in contention once we enter the final stages in Central Park.”

Obiri is joined by compatriots Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 winner, and Edna Kiplagat, the 2010 champion.

Queens resident Joel Kaufman returns to the course a year after making a name for himself for his place — on the complete opposite end of Tola and Obiri’s score sheet.

Kaufman’s race time of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 34 seconds, just after 8:00 p.m., marked him on dead last finisher for last year’s event.

“I got a call the next day from the New York Road Runners,” Kaufman told The Post about the organization that produces the 26.2 mile race. “(They) said, ‘You’re the last official end.’ I said, “This is so great. I have a title that no one can take away from me. It’s not like you’re ranked 57,000.”

Kaufman, who has run the race for the past decade to support people the fight against leukemia and lymphoma blood cancers, had a pace of 19 minutes and 59 seconds per mile.

The 66-year-old high school math teacher, who goes by the name “Whammy,” will be back for Sunday’s marathon — and will start at 9:10 a.m. alongside the three-hour marathoners in a nod to the story its inspirational.

Celebrity participants in the NYC Marathon

The NYC Marathon isn’t just about the high-level competition, it’s also about the features a star-studded lineup including actors, singers, comedians, politicians and TV personalities.

Actors Randall Park, Nev Schulman, Claire Holt and Carrie St. Louis will run for various organizations and charities.

Schulmann, host of MTV’s “Catfish.” lead the race despite the broken neck in August during a bicycle accident that forced him to undergo emergency spine surgery.

Former “GMA” hosts turned sweethearts Amy Robach and TJ Holmes are running their second NYC Marathon as a couple, as Vinny Guadagnino of “The Jersey Shore” and a slew of “The Bachelor” stars compete in the race.

The 2023 marathon had 51,453 participants from 148 countries and an average time of 4:39:47.

More than $520 million has been raised for charity from the race.