NYCRUNS Central Park Half Marathon & 5K
New York City, NY
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
NYCRUNS invites you to take part in the Central Park Half Marathon! Take a wintry tour of Central Park’s rolling hills and test your fitness going into the spring season. If you haven’t raced in Central Park in winter you’re in for an off-season treat. You’d never know that the … MORE
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Same Old Loops
I've done this race once before and the NYCRUNS Big Apple Half a couple times and I did the NYRR Fred Lebow Half once so I am very familiar (and … MORE
I’ve done this race once before and the NYCRUNS Big Apple Half a couple times and I did the NYRR Fred Lebow Half once so I am very familiar (and a bit sick of) running loops in Central Park. However I love visiting NYC and there are limited race options in the Northeast in the winter so I will keep coming back for the loops when I have the weekend off during these races. I always take the train from Boston to NYC which is super easy and if you can get to NYC by train it is easier than driving or flying. Logistics for the race were pretty similar to last year but there were a few minor issues so I ended up docking a sneaker. This year they stopped mailing bibs unless you are an NYCRUNS member or pay extra. However they have race day packet pick-up and other than it being on the opposite side of the park about 10-15 minutes from the start it is easy. This year there was one big improvement and that was the race shirt. While NYCRUNS shirts have always been high quality I have felt the last couple shirts I got were a bit gaudy and over the top but this year it was a really nice long sleeve seaform green shirt with the race logo that I will definitely keep using. One thing a bit of a pain is race sizes aren’t guaranteed so unless you want to take a gamble you have to either wear your shirt or do bag check. I planned for this and it was a lovely day with weather in the 30’s and I figured 2 long sleeve shirts would be comfortable in this weather so just wore the race shirt. The start was mostly well organized. I feel the corrals are a bit better than they were before with multiple openings to get in. However the race start was delayed about 15 minutes as they needed to set up porta potties on the course. Not the end of the world as the weather would be comfortable all day but a minor annoyance. I liked this course less then the course for Big Apple which was 2 big loops around central park. The course is 2.5 X upper loop. The loop is ~5 miles and you do the whole loop twice and you do 3 miles of it the last loop. This is more repetitive and hilly than Big Apple. It does have Cat Hill three times but luckily the worst hill Harlem Hill only twice. I did appreciate the spectator with the cat sign but the cat stature on Cat Hill that was adorbz. Race is generally well organized with clocks, mile markers and multiple timing mats for splits. There are 3 aid stations you pass by two of them three times and one of them twice. All had water and gatorade. The porta potties also arrived on time. Central Park is open to traffic so the better the weather the more annoying it is dodging tourists. I was having a pretty good race until my second time on Harlem Hill. My back (which I injured slipping on ice a few weeks ago) couldn’t hand it twice so I struggled the last 3 miles but I still managed to finish a bit over 3 hours which is a decent finishing time for me. At the end you get your medal which is very nice and there are bagels and apples. They are delicious bagels but I am getting a bit sick of them. It might be nice to mix up the food at the end. The bigger issue was with the timing of the race. I initially received an email with a tracking app and got a preliminary time but didn’t see myself on the website’s preliminary results. I took a screenshot of my preliminary time and waited a few days to see if it would get fixed because we never got an email saying the final times were published. After a few days my time still didn’t appear. I used their website and reported my missing result as a result issue and entered all my info. They promptly replied in under 24 hours and fixed it and my result is now there. Not the end of the world and I appreciate them being so quick to fix it. However I always felt this race was between 3-4 sneakers. I generally round up given I know it is hard to produce a race in NYC but given the late start and result issue I did round down to 3 sneakers this time. I still enjoyed the race and will likely do it again and will definitely do more NYCRUNS race. Overall I don’t think these are the most exciting races but they are convenient. They are not my first choice for NY state unless you want to do a race in NYC that does not require a lottery. This is also a cheap time to visit NYC so it’s a good choice if you want to visit NYC on a budget.
Cool swag
Maybe the most memorable part of the race for me was that it was around 27 degrees at the start! Brrr! 🥶 It was sunny, clear, and warmed to above … MORE
Maybe the most memorable part of the race for me was that it was around 27 degrees at the start! Brrr! 🥶 It was sunny, clear, and warmed to above freezing by the finish. It consisted of two and a half loops in Central Park. I’d never been there before so it was fun and novel for me. I didn’t like it towards the end though because there were a lot more users in the park and they were crossing the course without regard to runners so be aware of that. Since I was coming in from out-of-state, I had my bib mailed to me which saved the hassle of picking it up when you don’t even have an expo. After the race it was a challenge to find where to pick up the free shirt but it was worth looking for–a long sleeve, sublimated tech shirt in blue and pink. The medal’s ribbon was matching in color and the medal was a giant sparkly snowflake, which also matched the shirt’s logo. Nice souvenirs.
No-frills Central Park Race.
The course is Central Park loop x2 with 2 times running up Harlem Hill and 3 times running up Cat Hill. Pretty no-frills race but the price is way higher … MORE
The course is Central Park loop x2 with 2 times running up Harlem Hill and 3 times running up Cat Hill. Pretty no-frills race but the price is way higher than a similar race organized by NYRR. I registered when I was searching a NYC half marathon in Feb and this NYCRUNS race showed up on Google ( I did not know what NYRR was then). Would not run again given the price.
Loops in Central Park
This is a half marathon produced by NYCRUNS that takes place in Central Park at the end of February. It is almost exactly the same as the Big Apple Half … MORE
This is a half marathon produced by NYCRUNS that takes place in Central Park at the end of February. It is almost exactly the same as the Big Apple Half in December but it’s my first time doing this specific race. There is pretty good pre race communication. I do sometimes find I need to search for specific details on NYCRUNS website a little more than I do for other race websites but I was able to find all the information I needed. I stayed in Times Square which is a convenient central location for NYC and a quick 15 minute train ride to the start. They mail the bib before if you sign up over 30 days in advance which makes race morning easy. I just got up and took the train to the upper west side where it starts. The half starts a little late at 9am. This would be good for a cold day but it was pretty nice weather today so the park does get crowded by the end of the race. While it was nice running weather it was a bit chilly to hang out before the race so I went to a Whole Foods a few blocks away and got a light breakfast and used their bathroom. Race start was pretty smooth but I do not like how NYCRUNS does there corrals which is just one big corrals that has just an entrance from the back. I knew I would be slow given my ankle is still recovering from the injury in Austin so I hung outside the back of the corral. The course is 3 loops around Central park it ends on the upper east side so the top part of the loop you only do twice which is appreciated as that part has Harlem Hill which is the worst hill in Central Park. Running in Central Park is fine. There are nice views of the park and some landmarks but it gets repetitive if you’ve done it enough. It’s also quite hilly though nothing crazy except Harlem Hill. It helps that I know all the hills by now. There were 3 aid stations, two you passed 3 times and one you passed twice which was plenty. They had water and electrolyte. They did not have nutrition so I’m glad I had the light breakfast. There are some spectators though not a ton of support. I find these Central Park loops not the most fun for being in the back of the pack as you spend most of your second loop being passed by people and the third loop there is so much tourist interference but not much can be done about this. Also the aid station and finish line was starting to be packed up. Everything was there and there was adequate aid and support for back of the pack but more volunteers were focused on clean up than cheering. Same with the finish line. There were a few people with medals, etc but a lot were cleaning. My finish time was okay. This was the first time I ran since I injured by ankle in Austin (I was registered for a 4 mile race on Saturday but given a combination of my ankle injury and my train arriving 45 minutes late on Friday and not going to bed until 1am I skipped it) so O didn’t push myself and just wanted to finish under 3:30 which is the stated time limit. They are not strict with the time limit so don’t worry if you might be a few minutes over. The medal was a nice snowflake design that sparkles. The post race food was bagels and apples although they ran out of cream cheese. You can get the shirt at the end. The shirt is nice quality but the design is a little bold. I still prefer taking a risk with the design so liked the over the top colorful shirt. I think NYCRUNS has pretty good swag. If you compare the 2 big race companies in NYC which are NYRR and NYRUNS, I find NYRR’s production better but NYCRUNS swag better. Overall this is a fine race. I get kind of sick of Central Park loops but there aren’t many other options for half marathons in the North East in the winter. I would definitely return given the limited options and recommend this race for people who live relatively close by. It would not be my first choice for 50 staters given it’s just loops but if you really want to run a race in NYC and not have to enter through lottery and want to visit at a cheap time for traveling this is not a bad options.
Beautiful day for a run in Central Park
The weather this year was perfect and all runners were required to show proof of vaccination either on race day when picking up their bib or emailed in to have … MORE
The weather this year was perfect and all runners were required to show proof of vaccination either on race day when picking up their bib or emailed in to have their bib mailed home to them.
The course is the usual central park race course, this one being 2.5 loops of the upper part of the park, cutting out the lower loop.
Runners have cones to protect their lane and divide those finishing from those going onto their second lap. That being said, Central Park is open to the public so you’re sharing that lane with other runners and even, at times, bike cabs who don’t seem to realize that lane isn’t for them.
Post race, a pretty good spread is offered of hot cocoa (if it’s under 55 degrees out), a variety of bagels, and Dole fruit cups.
The course has a 3.5 hour limit, but in most of their half marathons the results go up to almost 4 hours so this isn’t the strictest of limits.
Perfect weather this year
I ran this race for the second time. While last year it was raining, this year it was gorgeous. Full sun, light breeze, and about 40 at race time which, … MORE
I ran this race for the second time. While last year it was raining, this year it was gorgeous. Full sun, light breeze, and about 40 at race time which, because of all the sun, quickly rose to near 50. I ran in shorts, calf sleeves, and a light long sleeve shirt and quickly rolled my sleeves up to the elbow.
They could’ve used more porta potties by the race start. Since the weather was so nice, there was a great runner turn out…but with maybe 10 or so porta potties by the corrals, the lines started snaking down to the corrals and they had to redirect the line. There were still quite a few people on it at race start despite there being porta potties along the course. Hard to plan for, I know. Usually the same amount is just fine when the weather is cold or wet.
The course is that ever fun 2.5 loops of Central Park (minus the lower part of the park) meaning Harlem Hill x2 and Cat Hill x3. The course was especially congested today because everyone in NYC seemed to be walking/running/biking/etc. in Central Park because the weather was so perfect.
Swag was pretty adorable. Shirt has the same image as the medal which featured Central Park residents (squirrels, rats, and raccoons) ice skating.
The food spread was a little disappointing, only because the bagel options were either plain or sesame…no cinnamon raising which is my personal favorite, but they also had apples, bananas, and hot cocoa (which it was honestly too warm for).
Small half in Central Park
This was my 4th time running this particular race. No changes to past years. It was warmer than normal this year (2020), but it was the same course. Swag was … MORE
This was my 4th time running this particular race. No changes to past years. It was warmer than normal this year (2020), but it was the same course. Swag was a long sleeve tech t-shirt. Decent medal at the end. Race starts later than most half marathons (9am). The biggest change this year was moving bib pick up (there is no expo) to Brooklyn. NYCRuns allows for same day pick up, which I (along with a lot of other people) did.
A run in the rain
I ran the race as the first 13.1 miles of a 20 mile long run for marathon training, so my pace is slower than average for that reason. The shirt … MORE
I ran the race as the first 13.1 miles of a 20 mile long run for marathon training, so my pace is slower than average for that reason.
The shirt for this race is usually a long sleeve tech shirt and the medal is nice and interlocks with NYC Runs medals for the tri-boro challenge races (the other 2 being Brooklyn and Queens). They also gave out knit beanies at the finish line (which I sadly did not take because I had no idea what to do with it for the next 7 miles).
I picked up my packed on race morning, but they also offer pre race pick up the Friday before race day.
The course is the same as 99% of runs in Central Park, meaning 3 times up Cat Hill and twice up Harlem Hill.
One disappointing thing I saw on my extra mileage was that they were already breaking down the race with 40 minutes of race left to go and I saw some volunteers leaving early. Other than that it’s another average NYC Runs race, put on pretty well, not too congested, but I’m getting sick of Central Park. My one complaint is that they did not have enough porta potties. I got there early enough that it wasn’t an issue, but the porta potties by the starting line had huge lines as the race was starting.
Weather this year was unseasonably warm, but steady rain for about the first 45 minutes of the race before it tapered off and then stopped so it was humid and foggy, but not raining for the bulk of the race.
Small NYC half marathon in the park
This is a small NYC half marathon (~1,000 runners in 2018). Central Park has rolling hills, and for this race, you go over most of those hills 3 times. There … MORE
This is a small NYC half marathon (~1,000 runners in 2018). Central Park has rolling hills, and for this race, you go over most of those hills 3 times.
There isn’t an expo, but a bib pick up at a sporting store (just one day-five hours) or you can pick up race morning.
The race starts later than most half marathons so–9am. NYCRuns has gotten much better about starting on time (I think they were actually early this year).
Blue long sleeve running shirt and a nice medal for swag.
A half through Central Park
Central Park is a series of rolling hills. This course was 3 loops of the part (2 5-mile loops and 3.1 miles to finish). The shirt was a long sleeve … MORE
Central Park is a series of rolling hills. This course was 3 loops of the part (2 5-mile loops and 3.1 miles to finish). The shirt was a long sleeve technical shirt (they ran out of sizes during bib pick-up). Medal was small but nice.
Smaller NYC half marathon
NYCRuns is a much smaller organization than NY Road Runners (who put on the larger NYC races). As such, they aren't quite as polished. They tend not to start on … MORE
NYCRuns is a much smaller organization than NY Road Runners (who put on the larger NYC races). As such, they aren’t quite as polished. They tend not to start on time and their races can be mildly annoying for runners who struggle with multiple events happening at the same time (on the same course). If you can get past that, it’s a nice race in the park!