2024 United Airlines NYC Half

Please note the following planned service changes affecting race day. Runners, spectators, and volunteers should plan accordingly.

Planned Service Changes Affecting the Start Line

• Q: Trains operate between Prospect Park – Stillwell Av
• BUS: Prospect Park – Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr

Planned Service Changes Affecting Times Square/42 St Area

• No 7 trains between 34 St-Hudson Yards & 74 St-Broadway; N trains rerouted to 96 St/2 Av
  • Extra E & R service will operate every 8 minutes

Planned Service Changes Affecting the Finish Line

• Southbound 1 trains operate express between 96 St & Chambers St

We strongly recommend checking mta.info before you travel. You can also message the MTA on WhatsApp.

For a full list of Prohibited Items, please click here.

The race will start on Washington Ave near the Brooklyn Museum. Runners will need to access the start area from one of two security checkpoints on Eastern Parkway near Washington and Classon Avenues. Runners checking a bag should take the 2/3/4 trains to the Franklin Avenue station. Runners NOT checking a bag should take the 2/3/4 trains to the Eastern Parkway station.

We strongly recommend checking mta.info before you travel. You can also message the MTA on WhatsApp.

For runners who will not be checking a bag:

Runners NOT checking a bag should take the 2/3/4 to the Eastern Parkway station.

For runners who wish to check a bag:

Runners checking a bag should take the 2/3/4 trains to the Franklin Avenue station. Bag check will be located on Eastern Parkway between Franklin Avenue and Classon Avenue; you will need to check your bag before you enter the start area security checkpoint on Classon Avenue.

If you check a bag, you must use the clear plastic bag that you received at the United Airlines NYC Half Experience Presented by New Balance, and you must attach the bag check tag that has your bib number on it to your bag. No other bag will be accepted at bag check.

Please also make sure that you check your bag at the bag check truck that corresponds to your bib number. Each bag check truck will have signage to show what range of bib numbers can check a bag at that truck. If you do not check your bag at your assigned bag check truck, you may experience delays in collecting your bag after you finish the race.

You can retrieve your bag after the race on Central Park West between West 60th and West 63rd streets. All bags not claimed by 1:30 p.m. will be transported to the NYRR RUNCenter featuring the New Balance Run Hub at 320 West 57th Street (between Eighth and Ninth avenues), where they can be claimed on Monday, March 18 after 11:00 a.m.

All Runners:

Before preparing for race day, review our list of prohibited items, and view the Start Timeline section below to find out what time you'll need to get to Prospect Park based on your start wave assignment.

Transportation Options:

The best way to get to the start area is to take the subway. Please view the recommended routes below.

Bag Check Runners:

• Subway:
• 2/3/4 to Franklin Avenue

No Bag Check Runners:

• Subway:
• 2/3/4 to Eastern Parkway
• Q to 7th Avenue

Vehicle Drop-Off:

• Bedford Avenue at Eastern Parkway at the northwest corner

Run Club Bus Drop-Off:

• Bedford Avenue at Eastern Parkway at the northwest corner

View the table below for a timeline of when you'll need to:

• Arrive at the start of the race
• Check a bag (if applicable)
• Clear security
• Enter your corral

All times listed are a.m. Runners must arrive at their designated time in order to ensure an enjoyable experience for all.

Watch some of the greatest professional athletes take on the streets of New York City at the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half! Check out the pro race start times below:

Read more about the pro race participants here.

• Pro Men's Wheelchair Division – 7:00 a.m.
• Pro Women's Wheelchair Division – 7:02 a.m.
• Pro Women's Open Division – 7:08 a.m.
• Pro Men's Open Division & Wave 1 – 7:20 a.m.

The race will begin on Washington Avenue near the Brooklyn Museum before taking runners through Prospect Park and across the East River via the Manhattan Bridge. Once in Manhattan, runners will race along the Lower East Side, up to Midtown, and through Times Square before finishing in Central Park. 

Full Course Map

Start Area Map

Finish Area Map

Detailed course description:

Mile 1: Start by heading south on Washington Avenue. Slight right on Empire Blvd to take you to Flatbush Avenue. Turn right onto Flatbush Avenue heading north.

Mile 2: Take a U-turn on Flatbush Avenue before reaching Grand Army Plaza and head south. Take a right turn into Prospect Park near Willink Plaza and head north on East Drive.

Miles 3-4: Exit Prospect Park and run around the right side of Grand Army Plaza and continue north on Flatbush Avenue toward the Manhattan Bridge.

Miles 5-6: Cross the Manhattan Bridge. Upon reaching the Manhattan end of the bridge, turn right onto Canal Street.

Mile 7: Turn right onto Allen Street, heading south. Turn left onto South Street, then take a right turn onto the FDR Drive entrance ramp by Pier 36.

Miles 8-9: Run north on FDR Drive. As you approach the East 42nd Street exit ramp, stay to the right side of the road and continue up the ramp.

Mile 10: With the United Nations on your right, exit FDR Drive onto East 42nd Street.

Mile 11: Run west on 42nd Street past Grand Central Terminal and Bryant Park. When you reach Seventh Avenue, turn right and continue north through Times Square.

Mile 12: Continue north on 7th Avenue, passing the Times Square Youth Run at the United Airlines NYC Half on your right. At Central Park South/West 59th Street, turn right.

Mile 13-Finish: As you approach the other Grand Army Plaza (in Manhattan) turn left into Central Park. Proceed into the park and run north on East Drive. When you reach the 72nd Street Transverse, turn left, and then at the end of the Transverse, make your final left turn onto West Drive. The finish line will be located between West 67th and 68th Streets (near Tavern on the Green).

Runners and their families and friends can take the United Airlines NYC Half with them everywhere with the United Airlines NYC Half App Powered by Tata Consultancy Services. Available free of charge on iOS and Android, the app features runner-tracking capabilities including:

• On-map tracking and finish cameras
• Uninterrupted coverage of the professional races
• Runner detail page
• Pro-athlete bios
• Essential race-day information

If you use a personal GPS device when you race, you may notice discrepancies between the USATF-certified race distance and the distance recorded by your device. Strava maps may show a slightly different distance and elevation, but know your official race-day course is USATF-certified. The process to certify a course under USATF guidelines is very rigorous and results in an accurate race distance. It is measured as the shortest distance between the start and finish and doesn't account for movement outside of that, such as moving toward and away from a fluid station. To learn more about course measurement, visit this link.

The NYRR Pace Team members are some of the most experienced runners in New York City and the most knowledgeable runners on the course. They have an average success rate of 96.5% of hitting their target finish time. Pacers will be on hand to guide participants toward specific goal times over the 13.1 miles. Pace Team members will lead groups at various paces between 6:51 per mile and 11:26 per mile (between a 1:30 finish and a 2:30 finish).

If you choose to run with a pace group, you can look for the NYRR Pace Team members in the start corrals wearing their blue-and-white-striped NYRR Pace Team singlets. Each Team member will carry signs that correspond with their respective finish times and paces. There is no fee to run with the pace team or to sign up.

Wave Start 1 (7:20 a.m.)

Wave Start 2 (7:50 a.m.)

Wave Start 3 (8:20 a.m.)

Wave Start 4 (8:50 a.m.)

Wave Start 5 (9:20 a.m.)

Fluid stations, including water and Gatorade, will be available at the following 8 locations on the course and at the finish area:

• Mile 1.6
• Mile 2.4
• Mile 4
• Mile 6.2
• Mile 8.1
• Mile 9.8
• Mile 11.5
• Mile 12.1
• The Finish

The following Science in Sport (SiS) gel flavors will be available just past Mile 6:

• Orange
• Tropical
• Pineapple
• Citrus (75mg caffeine)

As in previous years, NYRR will transport personal nursing pumps from the start to the finish area for athletes. For the United Airlines NYC Half, there will be lactation spaces that provide pumping accommodations and amenities at the start and finish lines. Medela breast pumps will also be available, giving participants easy options for pumping.

Lactation operations will be located at the start medical tent next to the Brooklyn Museum, the Mile 6 medical tent, and the finish medical tent on Central Park West.

To ensure runners are aware of the accommodations and preparation for medical device operations, NYRR will have an information booth at the United Airlines NYC Half Experience Presented by New Balance at Center 415 from March 14-16.

Tape breaks will be provided to the top professional men’s and women’s finishers in the wheelchair and open divisions. The top three finishers will be presented with their country flags and awards immediately following the finish.

Live, unofficial results will be available on the United Airlines NYC Half App powered by Tata Consultancy Services and liveresults.nyrr.org during the event.

After the conclusion of the event, official results will be posted on results.nyrr.org.

The top three finishers in the overall men, women, and non-binary divisions will be able to claim an award at the NYRR RUNCenter in the days following the race. Runners who place in the top three of their age group in the men, women, and non-binary divisions will be able to claim an award in the days following the race by filling out our Age-Group Awards Claim Form.

To be eligible for prize money at the United Airlines NYC Half, a runner must complete the course in 1 hour, 30 minutes or faster. Prize money categories may be subject to additional eligibility requirements, outlined below.

Open Division

Amounts are equal for men and women. Only athletes competing in the Professional/Invited Athlete start are eligible for Open Division prize money; finish order is based on Gun Time.

Tune in to watch the world's top half marathoners race the United Airlines NYC Half on Sunday, March 17.

• WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News (6:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ET): Coverage of the race, including features, interviews, and pro race look-ins. Available on ABC New York, Channel 7 in the NY Tri-State area.
• Pro Race Livestream (starting at 7:00 a.m. ET): Available on ESPN+, abc7ny.com, NYRR social and digital media channels, and internationally via ESPN International (Mexico, South America, Central America), Eurosport (Europe, Southeast Asia, India), and SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa).

Street Closures

No Parking Zone

This program is for runners who have a physical impairment and who use a pushrim wheelchair or a daychair with a FreeWheelTM attachment to participate.

Runners who intend to use a pushrim wheelchair or wheelchair with a FreeWheelTM attachment must select “wheelchair” on the application.

A racing wheelchair or wheelchair with a FreewheelTM attachment must be used; no other type of wheelchair will be permitted on the event course. A runner may participate using a day chair, if a FreeWheelTM is attached to lift the front small casters of the day chair off the ground and replace them with one large wheel that may be set in a fixed position. For safety reasons, runners may not participate using a day chair without a FreeWheelTM or other non-racing wheelchair.

Once a runner has claimed their entry, or once a drawing applicant has been accepted into the race, all entry fees are non-refundable. Runners entered in the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half may cancel their entry and earn guaranteed, non-complimentary entry to the 2025 race, but they will be responsible for claiming their entry and paying the processing and entry fees for the 2025 race. The deadline for runners to cancel their 2024 entry and get guaranteed non-complimentary into the 2025 race is March 16, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. For more information, visit our cancellation page.

Please note: Runners who earn guaranteed entry to the 2024 race because they canceled in 2023 cannot cancel a second time (in 2024) and become eligible for guaranteed entry in 2025.

No Refunds: Entry fees are non-refundable and may not be deferred or transferred.

To view a downloadable PDF United Airlines NYC Half Event Guide, click here.

The 4 Out of 6 program allows NYRR members who meet the eligibility requirements to gain guaranteed entry to the United Airlines NYC Half.

Eligibility for entry to the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half will be guaranteed for NYRR members who complete four qualifying events in 2023 and have an active membership by the last qualifying event of the 2023 4 Out of 6 program (the NYRR Staten Island Half in October).

The 2024 United Airlines NYC Half brings together a diverse field of runners from the New York City area and beyond. The non-guaranteed entry drawing helps preserve the diversity of the race.

Runners who do not have guaranteed entry to the race will have the opportunity to enter the non-guaranteed entry drawing between October 19 and November 15. The drawing for these entries will take place on November 29, 2023.

The entries available to non-guaranteed applicants will be filled through three drawings, one in each of the following applicant pools:

1. "NYC metro area" applicants: Residents in and within 60 miles of New York City
2. "National" applicants: U.S. residents outside of the NYC metro area
3. "International" applicants: Non-U.S. residents, including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories

A drawing will be conducted within each applicant pool. To be selected, you must have provided a valid credit card, future expiration date, and authorization to charge. The credit card saved as your default card is charged when the applicant is drawn; if the charge is not approved, the applicant will be removed and another applicant will be drawn from the same applicant pool.

Once you submit the application into the non-guaranteed drawing, you have authorized NYRR to charge your credit card a non-refundable entry fee upon acceptance into the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half. You can remove your name from the applicant pool prior to the drawing, but once you are accepted by any method, all fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable. NYRR does not contact applicants prior to accepting them in order to reconfirm that they wish to be selected.

Please note: Handcycle and push-rim applicants should apply to the non-guaranteed entry drawing.

The rules applicable to the United Airlines NYC Half do not permit entry by a person intending to be pushed in a wheelchair, stroller or other piece of equipment by another person or persons. To be accepted for entry, applicants with disabilities planning to use a wheelchair or other allowable equipment must be able to push themselves through the half-marathon course. While official guides are permitted to accompany an entrant with disabilities on the course, such guides cannot push the entrant through the course.

If you are an athlete with a disability and have any questions regarding race entry, guides, or other circumstances please contact NYRR at nyrrawdteam@nyrr.org.

If you no longer wish to enter the drawing for the race, please log into your dashboard, go to Registered Events, scroll to the event, and withdraw from the drawing. Please do this before the drawing begins on the morning of November 29.