NYCRUNS Frozen Penguin 5K
New York, NY
- 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
We like to joke that the weather in NYC this time of year is fit for penguins, but the truth is, it’s also fit for runners of all levels. Snag a new 5K PR (the cold should motivate you!) to start the year! This race in Central Park is calling … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jan 04):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 34 | 32 | 44 | 66 | 34 |
| L (°F) | 26 | 29 | 29 | 49 | 19 |
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No Medals This Year :(
I did this 5K last year and had a good time and got a really cute penguin medal. As I was in NYC again this weekend I decided to do … MORE
I did this 5K last year and had a good time and got a really cute penguin medal. As I was in NYC again this weekend I decided to do this race again and was looking forward to the medal. The course and most of the logistics were similar or the same as last year. There was good pre race communication. They changed how they do the bibs and NYCRUNS is no longer mailing bibs unless you are a member or pay extra but getting bib race morning was pretty easy. The swag this year was also a singlet and it was a neon pinkish orange color with the cute penguin design. It is cute but I am very particular with how tank tops/singlets fit and I have never worn mine from last year so I didn’t even take it. While I appreciate the company mixing up swag and shirt types I think long sleeve and short sleeve shirts are a safer design. The corral was a bit easier to get in and out of than last year and the waves were divided up better. Even though it was a big race it wasn’t overly crowded. Production for the race was all around improved and they clearly listened to feedback. Course is fine it is in the upper half of Central Park which is hillier but at least avoids Harlem Hill the worst hill. I was happy to see they did have porta potties at the aid stations. I didn’t need it this year but could have used it last year. There were also mile markers and timing clocks each mile. My finishing time was fine. I finished a bit faster than yesterday. While everyone was enthusiastic at the end I was very disappointed there was no medal. Since I had such as cute medal last year I was expecting one. I realized I don’t think I actually read they would be giving out medals and it was just an assumption on my part and you know what they say about making assumptions. I didn’t see anyone with a medal so I don’t think it was because they ran out. I do think enough people complained about not getting a medal as the website for next year says there will be medals so again they listen to feedback which is why I decided to round up to four sneakers. Post race food at NYCRUNS races is almost always bagels and apples. They have really good bagels. Overall it is a solid 5K if you are in NYC. Maybe if they give the medal along with the other feedback they improved on it will be a 5 sneaker race.
Canceled Half Marathon 3 Weeks B4 Race
There was an exhibit I wanted to visit in NYC in January and I was excited that NYCRUNS added a half marathon to this event so I could get a … MORE
There was an exhibit I wanted to visit in NYC in January and I was excited that NYCRUNS added a half marathon to this event so I could get a half marathon in while I was there. However I was very annoyed they canceled the half marathon 3 weeks in advance. I understand there are things out of a race company’s control but 3 weeks is pretty unfair as I was unable to rearrange my plans and I feel particularly bad for anyone who trained specifically for this half. This definitely affected my feelings of the race. As it was too hard for me to rearrange my schedule, I decided to still go to NYC and walk the 5K with my mom who was on the trip as well. The cancellation solution was also a bit annoying as they just automatically registered runners for the Central Park Half in February but I was already registered for that race. I did contact NYCRUNS and they gave me a code to use what I paid for the half marathon to apply to the 5K fee for both my mom and I so they were very fair in their response. It may have been easier to just give everyone race credit instead of just transferring them to another half that they may be registered for already or unable to attend. Otherwise things went fairly smoothly. There was very good pre-race communication especially as weather seemed a bit iffy overnight. They communicated exactly when to expect an update. Luckily weather was fine the morning of the race though it was a bit wet and drizzly. The race starts on the west side of the park and ends the same place as the 10K yesterday in the middle of the park. If you are registered 30 days in advance they mail your bib but since we just recently registered for the 5K we had to get our bibs race day morning. Bib pick-up was easy. The race was generally pretty well organized with a few minor issues. The start corral could have been set up better. It was one long corral with only an entry by the back. It did have signs where to line up by pace. My mom and I knew we would be near the end since we were walking so we hung out near the back of the corral but they kept telling us to move forward. This resulted in slower people in the wrong place and also fast runners who arrived late having to push through to get to the front. The rest of the race was well produced and it was a 5K course that was nice and did not include Harlem Hill. There were 2 aid stations. One criticism is the map showed there were porta potties at the aid stations but they were not there which was an issue since we needed them. Otherwise there was accurate mile markers and it was well marked. Scenery the same as yesterday but half the park. There were lots of walkers so this is a very back of the pack friendly 5K. The finish line was set up well. You get the most adorable medal. It’s one of my best 5K medals. You also got your shirt at the end. It is a white singlet. I don’t really like to wear white singlets unless they are made from very thick material so don’t appear see-through which this one was a very light material and the type I don’t wear. The design is adorable but I’m not sure if I will wear it. Post race food was better than yesterday with delicious NYC bagels and apples. Overall this was a good 5K. I would have given it 4 sneakers but I did take away a sneaker for canceling the half marathon with so little notice. While I do think NYCRUNs produces solid races and has better swag than NYRR, I’d be cautious to register for all but the biggest half marathons produced by NYCRUNS (Central Park, Brooklyn, Big Apple) unless you are a local or would be visiting NYC regardless of whether there was a half marathon.