Olympians, Paralympians, and notable and inspiring runners to race 13.1 miles from Brooklyn to Manhattan on best-in-class course that bridges communities
Expanded Commissioner’s Cup to draw additional New York City agencies and the Mayor’s Office in friendly competition’s second year
New York, March 11, 2024 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the non-profit which produces 60 adult and youth races in New York City annually, will host 25,000 runners for the United Airlines NYC Half, Sunday, March 17. The event will feature Olympians, Paralympians, notable and inspiring runners, and members of New York City agencies in the adult race, and nearly 1,500 youth in the Times Square Kids Run.
The world’s premier half marathon runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing historic landmarks, traversing diverse neighborhoods, and providing sweeping views of the city on the way to the Central Park finish. The race’s adult and youth courses pass through Times Square—the only time other than New Year’s Eve the crossroads of the world is closed to traffic.
“From starting as an event that helped revitalize Lower Manhattan following 9/11 to now having more than 260,000 all-time finishers and bringing significant economic impact to our city, the United Airlines NYC Half has become the world’s premier half marathon,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners. “As a New York–based non-profit, NYRR works to provide opportunities and inspire action to positively impact our community every day through running, and the United Airlines NYC Half has become the perfect showcase of that.”
Below are some of the highlights and initiatives to look forward to at the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half:
Notable and Inspiring Runners
This year’s race will feature a number of notable and inspiring runners, including ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee running in support of mental health for Still I Run; YouTube sensation Casey Neistat running the race for the first time since 2009; Lower Manhattan resident and Vietnamese-American Jackie Quan running with her son as a way to cope with grief and to show other Asian mothers they can run, too; Gretchen Georgeanna Evans, a Texas-based ESPY Award winner who suffered a life-altering brain injury in Afghanistan during her 27-year military career, running on behalf of Team UNBROKEN; and Washington Heights resident and Mexican-American Jacob Hoyos running in support of mental and physical health in the Latinx community.
Professional Athletes
The race will feature 10 Olympians, six Paralympians, and several more professional athletes who have their eyes on the Paris 2024 Games this summer. Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, will headline the men’s open division, while two-time U.S. Olympian Hillary Bor will race 13.1 miles for the first time and the world’s most-decorated distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, will run his second NYRR event. The women’s open division will be chock-full of established contenders, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat, and Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal. In the wheelchair division Susannah Scaroni will aim to defend her women’s title against past champion and five-time TCS New York City Marathon winner Tatyana McFadden and 2024 Tokyo Marathon runner-up Eden Rainbow-Cooper, while Daniel Romanchuk will race for his third title on the men’s side.
Commissioner’s Cup
Expanded for its second year, the Commissioner’s Cup will feature teams from eight partner agencies and the Mayor’s Office. Participating in a friendly competition to highlight their decades-long partnership with NYRR will be the reigning champions from the New York Police Department, along with the New York Fire Department, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Parks, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Environmental Protection, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and NYC Mayor’s Office. The Commissioners of each agency will serve as honorary captains, and the top three finishers from each city agency will determine the scoring. In last year’s inaugural edition, the NYPD outpaced the FDNY for the trophy.
Times Square Kids Run
Approximately 1,500 kids will participate in the Times Square Kids Run, which offers a one-mile out and back course in Times Square in addition to short dashes. Participants will include members of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s free youth program that serves over 137,000 students nationwide, including nearly 60,000 in New York City.
Sustainability Spotlight
NYRR is committed to ensuring future generations have access to clean air, green spaces, and a healthy environment to run in, and is working to minimize the environmental impact of our events. During the United Airlines NYC Half, all finisher medals will be 100 percent recycled steel that are produced domestically and the ribbons will be made from recycled material (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) for the first time ever; the four pace cars will be fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge vehicles; Green Team volunteers will sort waste at five stations; discarded runner clothing from the start area will be collected and donated to All of Us Clothing; leftover food and recovery bags will be donated to City Harvest; and Gatorade and water cups will be composted.
United Airlines NYC Half Experience Presented by New Balance
From March 14 to 16, runners will be greeted by United Airlines flight attendants as they pick up their bibs and race souvenirs, and they will have the opportunity to shop for race merchandise at Center415, located at 415 Fifth Ave., Manhattan. The Experience will be open to the general public.
How to Watch
The event will be covered locally in the tri-state area by ABC New York, Channel 7 with live news cut-ins from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The four professional fields will be covered by a livestream, distributed internationally from NYRR’s digital channels, abc7ny.com, ESPN+ and ESPN International, beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET. Reporting live from the Start, Finish, and Times Square will be WABC sports anchors Ryan Field and Sam Ryan, and meteorologist Brittany Bell. Joining the WABC team will be U.S. Olympian Carrie Tollefson, and Peloton Instructor Becs Gentry.
Download the App
The United Airlines NYC Half Mobile App Powered by TCS provides users the opportunity to track their runners on the course and will be available for download on iOS and Android. Fans can watch an uninterrupted live stream of all four professional athlete races and a live look at the finish line throughout race day.
Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Powered by Strava
Runners unable to make it to New York can still participate in the event virtually, running the 13.1-mile distance anywhere around the world at their convenience from March 9 to 17. Participants who complete the Guaranteed Entry tier will earn entry to the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half, and those who register for the Medal Tier will be shipped a finisher medal after completing the race.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
