⏵ Course guide · The largest half marathon in the US
The United Airlines NYC Half runs from Prospect Park in Brooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge, through a car-free Times Square, and finishes in Central Park. I will walk you through how the lottery works and the course first, then give you a pacing plan for the bridge and the park hills, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from nyrr.org and public race reporting. The exact 2027 date was not published in a form we could independently verify at the time of writing; confirm the current date and lottery window on nyrr.org.
This is a point-to-point course with two distinct terrain features and one unforgettable moment in between.
Leaving Prospect Park, the course climbs over the Manhattan Bridge into Manhattan, the single biggest terrain feature on the course. It arrives early enough that fresh legs handle it well, but it is real elevation change, not a rolling nudge, so pace it deliberately rather than by habit.
After the bridge, the route runs up FDR Drive before turning into Times Square, closed to traffic for the race, a genuinely rare experience even for New Yorkers. It lands well into the second half, so it rewards runners who have paced themselves to still have legs and attention to spare when they get there.
The course finishes in Central Park, whose rolling terrain adds a final test right when fatigue is highest. Combined with the earlier bridge climb, this keeps the NYC Half from being a flat, fast course, but it is exactly what makes the route so iconic.
This is the largest half marathon in the country, and entry reflects that: it runs through a lottery, not open registration.
Most entrants get in through NYRR's lottery (drawing) system. Apply during the announced window on nyrr.org, since there is no guarantee of a spot outside of the qualifying paths below, and demand for this race is consistently high given the record field size.
NYRR members who complete nine qualifying NYRR races and one volunteer credit in the prior year earn guaranteed entry through the 9+1 program, and charity runners fundraising for a partner organization have a separate guaranteed path. Both require lead time, so plan a year out if you want to avoid the lottery entirely.
Two real terrain features bookend this course, and a flat pace target does not serve either one well.
Run the Manhattan Bridge by effort, not by your flat-course pace, and save something for Central Park's rolling finish rather than assuming the flatter FDR Drive miles in between mean the hard part is over.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact bridge-then-park profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the two terrain features, and helps you dial in race-day pacing so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Through the NYRR lottery (drawing) system, plus a smaller number of guaranteed-entry paths: NYRR 9+1 members who run nine qualifying NYRR races and volunteer once in the prior year, and charity runners raising funds for a partner organization. If you are applying cold with no guaranteed path, plan on the lottery deciding your spot, and apply during the announced window rather than waiting, since this is the largest half marathon in the country and demand is high.
It is the course's main terrain feature: a real, sustained climb over the bridge as you leave Brooklyn for Manhattan, early enough in the race that fresh legs handle it fine but late enough that it is not just a warm-up mile. Pace it by effort rather than trying to hold your flat pace, then let the descent off the bridge help you settle back into rhythm.
It is the signature moment of the race: a car-free run through Times Square, something that never happens outside of a handful of closed-course events each year. It arrives well into the second half, after FDR Drive, so save enough energy to actually enjoy it rather than gutting through it on fumes.
Respect the Manhattan Bridge climb early and Central Park's finishing hills late. This is not a flat course, so a rigid flat-pace target will cost you on both ends. Use a grade-adjusted pace target for the bridge and the Central Park hills, and set your overall goal time with the race-time calculator built off your recent training rather than a flat-course assumption.
Mid-March in New York is cold and genuinely variable: typical highs sit around 45°F with lows near 35°F, and wind off the rivers and the bridge crossing can be a real factor. Dress in layers you can shed, and check the forecast close to race day since March weather in New York can swing meaningfully week to week.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/nyc-half-marathon">The NYC Half Marathon course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and entry rules come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The pacing advice is general and not medical advice.