The New York City Half Marathon hits the streets on April 27th, and runners across the country are in their peak training weeks. If you've been putting in the miles, race day is close. If you haven't started yet — there's still time to build toward something meaningful this spring, and here's everything you need to know about the race everyone's watching.
Last year's NYC Half drew over 24,000 registered runners and countless more spectators lining the course through some of the most iconic urban scenery in the world. 2026 is expected to be even bigger, with registration hitting a new record in January. The half marathon has become one of those races that runners point to as a season-defining goal — challenging enough to mean something, accessible enough that ordinary mortals can train for it in a season.
The Course: Brooklyn to Central Park
The 13.1-mile route starts in Brooklyn near the Brooklyn Museum, winds through Prospect Park, crosses the Brooklyn Bridge, runs through the Lower East Side, up through Midtown including a loop through Times Square (yes, running through midtown Manhattan with the lights and the crowds is exactly as electric as it sounds), and finishes in Central Park with that final climb at the east side of the park that has broken many a runner's rhythm in the final miles.
Running through Times Square at mile 10 with tens of thousands of New Yorkers cheering is an experience unlike anything else in road racing. The sound bounces off the buildings, the lights are disorienting in the best way, and your legs somehow find another gear even when your lungs are screaming. It's loud in a way that erases pain, briefly.
Who's Running This Year
With the Boston Marathon in the rearview, several elite runners who raced there are using the NYC Half as a springboard for their next big goal. Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot, who ran 1:05:48 in Tokyo in February, is registered and expected to compete for the women's win. On the men's side, American rising star CJ Kimyon is coming off a personal best at Boston and confirmed to run — he's looking to back up that performance rather than let it stand alone.
What's notable this year is the amateur field. Post-pandemic road racing saw a massive influx of new runners, and the 2026 NYC Half is reflecting that demographic shift: the largest percentage of first-time half marathoners in the event's history. The community that formed around pandemic-era virtual races has now grown into a real, in-person culture, and the NYC Half is one of its focal points.
Training for Your First Half: What Actually Matters
If you're running your first half, the final two weeks are critical — and counterintuitive. This is the taper period, and the instinct to cram in extra miles is exactly wrong. You won't gain fitness in the final two weeks, but you can absolutely lose a race by showing up fatigued from overtraining. Ease off the mileage, protect your sleep, and make sure your nutrition is dialed in.
The final hill into Central Park at mile 12.5 is no joke — it's a long, grinding climb that has broken many a runner's finishing kick. Practice pacing accordingly: go out conservatively, let the downhill miles in Brooklyn and the flat stretch through Lower Manhattan build your buffer, and trust that the climb will come regardless of how you feel — so don't empty the tank before it arrives.
Sophia Reyes's Boston Marathon underdog story is a useful reminder: you don't need everything figured out to do something remarkable. Sophia ran 2:45 on desert trails with a DIY training plan she found online. Your version doesn't need to look like anyone else's.
For Cross-Country Runners Transitioning to Road Racing
If you're a cross-country runner considering a half marathon, the NYC Half is a great entry point. The course is flat enough that you don't need mountain legs — you need endurance, and you have that from XC training. The key adjustment is mental: road racing is less tactical than track but more demanding over the long haul. Spring track season is the perfect complement to road racing — it keeps your turnover sharp while you're building mileage, and the speed work translates directly to faster road splits even in longer events.
Start conservatively. Let your fitness carry you through the first 10 miles. Trust the work you put in. And when you hit Times Square and the crowd noise swallows you whole — let it.