1,500+ youth to participate in free Times Square Kids Run
Follow the action via the NYRR App, ABC New York, Channel 7, ESPN+, and NYRR’s digital channels
New York, March 9, 2026 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon and providing free year-round youth and community programs, will host more than 30,000 runners of all ages and abilities for the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half, taking place Sunday, March 15.
First run in 2006, the United Airlines NYC Half, known as the One to Run, is now the world’s premier half marathon and the largest in the U.S., with a record-breaking 28,709 finishers in 2025. The race takes runners on a 13.1-mile park-to-park tour of New York City, starting near Prospect Park in Brooklyn and ending in Central Park. For the second year in a row, the course will take athletes across the Brooklyn Bridge—the only race in history to do so—before passing Grand Central Terminal and running through Times Square—one of two times a year the Crossroads of the World is closed to traffic.
“The United Airlines NYC Half is one of the most special days of the year at New York Road Runners and in New York City,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO. “From first-time runners to Olympians and Paralympians, we’re proud to welcome more than 30,000 athletes to experience our iconic streets, drive economic impact to the city, and inspire the next generation—including the young athletes participating in the Times Square Kids Run—to believe in every step.”
The United Airlines NYC Half will bring together professional athletes, notable and inspiring runners from around the world, and members of New York City government agencies and the Mayor’s Office for the race, as well as more than 1,500 youth in the accompanying Times Square Kids Run. The United Airlines NYC Half, alongside the TCS New York City Marathon and the 30+ other adult races New York Road Runners produces year-round, helps contribute nearly $1 billion to the city’s economy.
New initiatives to look forward to during 2026 United Airlines NYC Half race week include:
United Airlines NYC Half Expo Presented by New Balance
For the first time, New York Road Runners will host the United Airlines NYC Half Expo Presented by New Balance at the iconic Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which is also home to the TCS New York City Marathon Expo.
From March 12–14, runners will be greeted by United Airlines flight attendants as they pick up their bibs and race souvenirs at the Expo, while catching course strategy sessions from New York Road Runners coaches, grabbing official race merchandise from New Balance, getting race-day tips and tricks with Hospital for Special Surgery, and enjoying sponsor activations from United Airlines, Maurten, Shokz, Knockaround, Erica Sara Designs, MarathonFoto, and more.
Announced in January, New York Road Runners’ new logo will be on full display at the United Airlines NYC Half. The first race to feature the new mark across signage and event materials, the United Airlines NYC Half also features refreshed race branding highlighting the New York City skyline and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
Additional highlights include:
The 2026 United Airlines NYC Half features a stacked professional athlete field, including 27 Olympians and Paralympians and athletes from 17 countries. Storylines to follow during the race include:
- The three defending champions – Returning and looking to defend their titles in the men’s and women’s open and wheelchair divisions are Abel Kipchumba and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, and Geert Schipper of the Netherlands.
- The men’s open division – Headlining the men’s open division are 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships bronze medalist Daniel Ebenyo, two-time Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher making his road racing and half marathon debut, and four of the fastest half marathoners and marathoners in American history: Ryan Ford, Alex Maier, Galen Rupp, and Zouhair Talbi.
- The women’s open division – In addition to Lokedi, headliners in the women’s open division are defending TCS New York City Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships gold medalist and world 10K record holder Agnes Ngetich, 2025 World Athletics Championships marathon bronze medalist Julia Paternain, and top Americans Lindsay Flanagan, Annie Frisbie, Dakotah Popehn, Natosha Rogers, and Emily Sisson.
- The wheelchair division – Headlining the wheelchair division are Paralympians and former United Airlines NYC Half podium finishers Tatyana McFadden, Eden Rainbow-Cooper, and Daniel Romanchuk.
This year’s United Airlines NYC Half will feature several notable and inspiring runners, including:
- Justin Britt – Retired offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans who runs for his mental health; coached by Emily Venters, who will be running in the United Airlines NYC Half professional athlete field
- Jordan Litz – Broadway star and actor who ran the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon and performed two shows as Fiyero in “Wicked” on Broadway
- N.O.R.E. – Rapper, actor, and media personality who recently ran his first-ever TCS New York City Marathon alongside his “Run Champs” run crew; New York Road Runners will be capturing his race weekend for an original feature video that will go live in the coming weeks
- Nev Schulman – Host and producer known for “Catfish: The TV Show” running with his wife Laura Perlongo
- Mickey Thomas – Wrexham Association Football Club legend running with a team from the Wrexham AFC Foundation to raise funds for the foundation and Kick4Life
- Tiki Barber – New York Giants legend and longtime runner
- Peloton instructors Matt Wilpers, Kristen Ferguson, and Mariana Fernandez
- Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes – Broadcast personalities and host of iHeartMedia’s “Amy & T.J.” podcast
- Errol Barnett – CBS News anchor and national correspondent
- ABC New York anchors Liz Cho and Mike Marza
- Brandon Allmon-Jackson – Broadway stage manager who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in December running with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
- Kade Cahe – Sustainability advocate, nonbinary athlete, and Dominican-born New Yorker running with NYRR Team for Climate
- Eddie Collazo – Brooklynite running in memory of his father and to set an example for his son Isaiah, a Rising New York Road Runners Youth Ambassador participating in the Times Square Kids Run
- Safiatu Diagana – Queens-based NYRR Run for the Future alum running her first half marathon while fasting for Ramadan
- Julia Khvasechko – Brain cancer survivor running as an NYRR pacer and has fundraised for Fred’s Team at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she was treated
- Donna Nerges – New Jersey-based NYRR Striders participant who started running in her 60s encouraged by her son and the community she found through the older adult fitness program
For the fourth year, New York Road Runners will host the Commissioner’s Cup during the United Airlines NYC Half, featuring teams from seven New York City government agencies and the Mayor’s Office competing to highlight their decades-long partnership with NYRR. Participating will be the three-time reigning champions from the New York Police Department, along with the New York Fire Department, NYC Parks, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Environmental Protection, New York City Public Schools, which is participating for the first time, and NYC Mayor’s Office. The Commissioners of each agency will serve as honorary captains, and the top three finishers from each city agency will determine the scoring.
Inspiring Commissioner’s Cup—City employees—participants include:
- Harjinder Singh – A Queens-based Assistant Director and Civil Engineer with NYC DOT’s Capital Project Engineering team who is a 10-time marathoner, longtime NYRR Team for Kids supporter, and New York Road Runners volunteer. A Sikh and Punjabi athlete, he runs in a turban to champion Sikh representation and founded the Iron Darbar Run Club through Sikh Youth of New York to mentor young athletes who look like him.
- Chris Di Niso – A Staten Island-based nonbinary runner who is celebrating 20 years of keeping the city’s streets clean with the NYC Department of Sanitation. A more than 130-time New York Road Runners race finisher, Chris fell in love with running in 2013, became one of the longest-tenured NYRR Open Run participants at Conference House Park, and helped found the DSNY Run Club after running the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon as a member of Team Inspire.
In addition to the adult race, more than 1,500 kids will participate in free dashes and races as part of the Times Square Kids Run, one of 20+ free Rising New York Road Runners youth events the nonprofit hosts during the year, including the TCS New York City Marathon Kids Kickoff.
The youth event will take place in the middle of Times Square, with kids running alongside the professional athletes and adult participants for a fun and rewarding experience that encourages them to be physically active and builds their confidence to cross any finish line. Participants will include members of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s free running-based youth program that serves 200,000 students nationwide, with 100,000 students in New York City.
To preview the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half, New York Road Runners will host a press conference at City Hall ParkThursday, March 12, at 11:30 a.m. ET. Speakers and guests will include New York Road Runners executives, representatives from New York City agency partners and the Mayor’s Office, athletes from the professional field including Grant Fisher, Agnes Ngetich, and Daniel Romanchuk, Rising New York Road Runners Youth Ambassadors, and inspiring United Airlines NYC Half participants.
With runners traveling from around the country and the world to experience the bright lights of New York City during United Airlines NYC Half race week, athletes and their families and friends can take advantage of NYRR Beyond the Finish Line offers, with unique opportunities to engage with New York City’s top cultural institutions.
The program provides free and discounted admissions, exclusive behind-the-scenes access, private tours, and meet-and-greet opportunities at participating sporting events, performing arts centers, and quintessential New York City attractions, including Brooklyn Nets, Disney on Broadway performances of Aladdin and The Lion King, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, and Top of the Rock.
NYRR Team for Climate will return for the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half, with 125 runners fundraising to support New York Road Runners’ sustainability initiatives as part of the nonprofit’s commitment to ensure future generations have access to clean air, green spaces, and a healthy environment to run in.
Launched in 2024, NYRR Team for Climate is an entry method for NYRR’s three marquee races—the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half, and RBC Brooklyn Half—and has raised more than $1.6 million, including $140,000+ during the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half, to deliver a more environmentally friendly racing experience for all runners.
Additional ways New York Road Runners is minimizing the environmental impact of the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half include:
- Making all finisher medals with 100 percent recycled steel produced domestically and with ribbons produced from PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) recycled material
- Using fully electric Volvo EX90s pace cars and Volvo plug-in hybrid XC90 Recharge support cars
- Deploying Green Team volunteers to sort waste at four stations
- Collecting and donating discarded runner clothing from the start area to All of Us Clothing, with more than eight tons of clothing donated from last year’s race
- Donating leftover food and recovery bags to City Harvest, with more than five tons donated from last year’s race
- Composting Gatorade and water cups at a compost farm in upstate New York
- Providing reusable aluminum water bottles for finishers in their post-race recovery bags courtesy of Culligan, the Official Water Solutions Partner of the United Airlines NYC Half, and encouraging runners to reuse and recycle at the end of life
Ahead of race day, New York Road Runners will host a two-mile United Airlines NYC Half Plogging Event, encouraging runners to pick up trash while running, Saturday, March 14, from the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub. The event will feature special guest Tina Muir, an environmental advocate and former elite marathoner.
Participants, spectators, and supporters can access runner tracking, leaderboards, race-day information, and course maps through the NYRR App Developed by Tata Consultancy Services. Within the year-round app, fans can watch live feeds of all four professional divisions without interruption. The app will also provide a feed from the finish line, so spectators can catch their runners complete the race. In addition, the app’s interactive Spectator Guide offers recommendations for the best locations to cheer on runners on race day. The NYRR App is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The United Airlines NYC Half will be covered locally in the tri-state area by ABC New York, Channel 7 with live news cut-ins between 6–9 a.m. ET. The four professional fields will also be covered by a livestream, available on ESPN+, abc7ny.com, and NYRR’s YouTube channel beginning at 7 a.m. ET. Additional International coverage will be provided by ESPN International (LATAM) and EuroSport (Europe and Southeast Asia).
Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Powered by Strava
Runners unable to run the United Airlines NYC Half can still participate in the event virtually, running the 13.1-mile distance anywhere around the world, anytime between March 7–15. Registration for the Virtual United Airlines NYC Half “Love of Running” tier is still available.
Media interested in covering the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half onsite can apply for a Media Credential here: https://www.nyrr.org/media-center/media-credentials
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About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving more than half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 55,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.