NYC half marathon 2026 sees record turnout with over 30,000 runners, NYRR says

More than 30,000 people participated in the United Airlines New York City half-marathon on Sunday, the New York Road Runners said.

It was the 20th half marathon for NYRR, and the organization said it was their biggest turnout yet.

Hellen Obiri, Adriaan Wildschutt, Eden Rainbow-Cooper and Daniel Romanchuk won their respective divisions.

NYC half-marathon race tracker and results app

Viewers are able to track runners using the New York Road Runner (NYRR) app during the events as well as live, unofficial results. 

The app is free to download on the Apple and Google Play stores. It includes a course map, runner checklist and other race day information.

Simply type in a runner's name to track them.

"Feels like a miracle"

It was runner Brandon Allmon-Jackson's first half marathon in the city.

Before the race, he started the morning taking chemotherapy medication. The Broadway stage manager was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver this past December; he says the diagnosis came around the time he found out he was running the half marathon.

"There were a lot of dark days where I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to do it or not," he said. "The thing I just keep telling myself is, 'It's bigger than you, keep going, keep going.'"

After running the marathon, it was off to rehearsal.

"It feels like a miracle. It feels really amazing," he said.

Allmon-Jackson says he would do it again and is already prepared for the next race.

"Let's go right now," he said.

Sanitation worker Chris de Niso was running his 49th half marathon overall, calling it a nice bookend to a demanding winter for DSNY workers. New York's strongest has it own run club called the "DSNY Trash Dashers," the self-proclaimed strongest run club in the city.

"I really don't care about like what my time is. It's just enjoyable just to do it because you really don't get a unique course like this anywhere else," he said. "I hope it goes on another 20 [years]. I'll be there for all of them."

According to NYRR, 26 Olympians and Paralympians, as well as 16 national record holders, were among those running Sunday.

NYC half-marathon 2026 route map

The course spans 13.1 miles, starting on Washington Avenue near the Brooklyn Museum before taking runners through Prospect Park and across the East River on the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Runners then go along the FDR Drive in Manhattan and through Times Square before finishing in Central Park. 

What time did the NYC half-marathon start and end?

Sunday's half-marathon started around 7 a.m. with the first wave taking off at 7:20 a.m. 

• Wave 1: Arrive by 6:10 a.m., start 7:20 a.m.
• Wave 2: Arrive by 6:35 a.m., start 7:45 a.m.
• Wave 3: Arrive by 6:55 a.m., start 8:05 a.m.
• Wave 4: Arrive by 7:20 a.m., start 8:30 a.m.

Runners were required to reach the Brooklyn Bridge by 10:20 a.m., enter the FDR Drive by 11:40 a.m., exit the FDR Drive by 11:45 a.m. and cross the finish line before it closed at 1:30 p.m. -- about four and a half hours after the start time.