New York starts on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The first two miles climb and then drop into Brooklyn. The next long climb is the Queensboro around mile 15, into Manhattan. Crowds and the bridges move people off an even pace more than the small rises in between.
Where to hold back
Do not match the runners who sprint the opening ramp. The band slows there on purpose.
Treat the Queensboro as a climb. The downhill off the bridge is not a place to make up a minute.
The last miles roll through the park. Keep the effort you had on the flats in Brooklyn.
This profile is approximate. Confirm the current course with New York Road Runners. Week-of bridge and start-village rules are theirs, not this chart. $7 unlocks the full band after you see the first 5 miles.
Course Pace Band is a pacing chart, not a prediction that you will run the goal time, and not medical advice. Preset elevations are approximate planning profiles, not a survey. A GPX file is only as good as its elevation track. Heat, wind, and crowds will move the clock.