Marathon News - NYC Half Marathon Fills Open Field in under Three Days

May-6-2009

NYC Half Marathon Fills Open Field in under Three Days
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

It took less than three days for the NYC Half-Marathon to reach its general entry cap of 11,500 runners, prompting race organizers to shut the general entry process down. The race opened for entries last Friday at noon, and runners were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, a change for a lottery entry process which was used the prior three years.

It is still possible, however, to enter the race by running for one of the event's official charities. Information on charity entries are available at this link: http://www.nyrr.org/races/2009/nychalf/charity.asp.

The event, founded and organized by the New York Road Runners, will take place for the fourth time on Sunday, August 16. The course begins with a loop of Central Park, then continues through the heart of Times Square and down to finish just north of Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Last year's contest, won by Tadesse Tola of Ethiopia and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, recorded a race record 10,506 finishers.