NYRR Midnight Run
New York, NY
- 4 Miler
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Cheers to the New Year! Get a running start with your first race of the new year at the NYRR Midnight Run! Join as we celebrate and get excited to set your New Year’s resolutions as you cross the finish line in Central Park. The countdown to begins at 11:59 … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Dec 31):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 32 | 49 | 42 | 54 | 53 |
| L (°F) | 27 | 42 | 36 | 49 | 47 |
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Why Watch the Ball Drop When You Can Run
There are many reasons to visit NYC on New Year's but of course my reason was to run not one but two races! My first race was the Midnight Run … MORE
There are many reasons to visit NYC on New Year’s but of course my reason was to run not one but two races! My first race was the Midnight Run and it was the main reason I decided to go to NYC and it did not disappoint. This race is produced by NYRR who produces the NYC Marathon. The race starts at 11:59pm on NYE so you can start the year running. Of note New Year’s is fun in NYC but it is not cheap. Luckily I had IHG points to use from all my travels so stayed at the cheapest Holiday Inn Express relatively close to Penn Station since I took the train which was the one in Chelsea. There was good pre-race communication. For the race you have to get your packet at the NYRR run center which is fairly close to the start of the race. There are several days you can pick up your packet including the day of the race but you need to get it there by 10pm. I got it that afternoon and it was easy. Packet includes a bib and a long sleeved shirt. The shirt is a light neon green. It is a great night shirt. It is the perfect color as it is neon but not too neon if that makes sense. It will reflect in the dark but it is not too obnoxious a color to wear in the light. For the race they tell you to arrive 30 minutes before the start at the latest. NYRR is always absolutely correct when to arrive. It was a very cold night so I found a pizza place open late 2 blocks away and bought a water (with a big tip for the water) and hydrated and hung out until about 40 minutes from the race. I then walked over. Central Park is closed except for the race so you need to go through security. This is why you need to be there 30 minutes early. It took maybe 10-15 minutes to go through and I had exactly enough time to use the restroom and stretch a bit and get to my corral which was the last one. I was planning on taking this race easy as I had a half marathon with a 3 hour time limit only 8 hours later so I didn’t really care about corral placement. The start of the race is super cool as fireworks go off and you can watch them in your corrals as you wait to start. Of course if you are in the last corral you will be starting at like 12:15 on January 1 not at 11:59. It is pretty cool running in Central Park in the dark when it is empty. There is enough light you do not need a head lamp or anything. The hill is a 4 mile loop. It has some hills but does not include Harlem Hill so it’s not too bad. The race is crowded by festive and you can get wristbands for spectators so a lot of people were cheering us on. It is well marked and easy to follow. There were mile markers. There is also an aid station around mile 2 that was kind of a party station with water but also a DJ and non-alcoholic sparkling cider. Everyone just slowed down to party and have fun at my pace. In terms of pace my place was easy 13 minute miles and I stuck to the plan and finished exactly as expected. There were ton of back of packets and this was kind of a party race and it was fun to be in the back. I definitely could’ve had a better time but it was more important to save energy for the next race. There is no medal at the end. Normally I don’t think small races need a medal but this was a special race and I would’ve liked some commemoration but oh well. There were some pretzels at the end plus more water and non-alcoholic sparkling cider. There was a fun party area after but I needed to head back to my hotel to get at least a few hours of sleep as I was running again in less than 8 hours. Overall this race was a blast and a great way to start the year. This is a shorter race I would definitely put on your bucket list. I would definitely like to come back although New Year’s Eve has to be on a Wednesday or weekend as I work in the afternoon on the other weekdays. Cheers to 2026!
Fun Way to Ring in the New Year
Such a fun experience but definitely a cold one! Be sure to bundle up! NYRR has a ton of really fun activities both before and after the race. Fireworks went … MORE
Such a fun experience but definitely a cold one! Be sure to bundle up! NYRR has a ton of really fun activities both before and after the race. Fireworks went off at the start so overall super fun! Vibes are immaculate!