2018 United Airlines NYC Half: By the Numbers

NEW YORK -- Not only does the 2018 United Airlines New York City Half Marathon offer runners a 13.1-mile run through the Big Apple, but the race also provides an array of interesting information and stats. Here are some "did you know" facts about the race:

Information current as of February 28, 2018

2018 Race

• 22,500 expected finishers
• 50 states represented, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico
• 81 countries represented

History

• 2006 year of the first NYC Half
• 2014 year of the first professional wheelchair division race
• 3 NYC Half victories by Molly Huddle (2015-2017), and Ernst van Dyk (2015-2017)
• 172,539 finishers to date (83,853 men and 88,686 women)
• 19,409 finishers in 2017 (9,529 men and 9,880 women)
• 2:06:58 average finish time in 2017

Records

• 59:24 men's open division event record (Haile Gebrselassie, 2007)
• 1:07:41 women's open division event record (Molly Huddle, 2016)
• 47:28 men's wheelchair division event record (Ernst van Dyk, 2017)
• 52:25 women's wheelchair division event record (Tatyana McFadden, 2016)

Professional Athlete Fields

• 15 nations represented
• 7 previous NYC Half champions in the 2018 field
• 9 Olympians and 10 Paralympians, including 1 Olympic medalist and 5 Paralympic medalists

Prize Purse

• $20,000 each to the men's and women's runner champions
• $4,000 each to the men's and women's wheelchair champions
• $115,000 total guaranteed prize purse

Charities and NYRR Team for Kids

• 142 official charity partners
• Approximately 2,700 charity runners (2017)
• Approximately $5 million raised by charity runners at the 2017 United Airlines NYC Half
• 367 NYRR Team for Kids runners (2017)
• $63 million raised by Team for Kids since its inception in 2002

Start, Course, and Finish

• 9,840 gallons of Gatorade Endurance Formula
• 500,000 paper cups
• 28,000 PowerBar PowerGels at 42nd Street between First and Second avenues
• 6 ChronoTrack timing systems: at the start, 5K, 10K, 15K, and 20K, and the finish
• 17 official clocks
• 600 portable toilets at the start and 101 portable toilets at more than 17 locations along the course
• 2 Jumbotrons on course
• 11 cameras for the live broadcast
• 22,500+ finisher medals
• 22,500+ Heat Sheets presented by United Airlines
• 22,500+ Runner Recovery Bags presented by Hospital for Special Surgery containing Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, a New York State McIntosh apple, Snyder's of Hanover pretzels, and Gatorade Thirst Quencher

Entertainment

• 12 bands, DJs, and entertainment locations along the course
• The 12th annual Times Square Entertainment Zone presented by United Airlines
• 3 Cheer Zones, including NYRR Youth Programs Cheer Zones (Times Square and at the finish), local running team Cheer Zones at fluid stations, and a Cheer New York Cheer Zone at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, supporting Rising New York Road Runners at the United Airlines NYC Half participants at the race's turnaround point

Recycling Efforts

• 13,220 lbs. or 16.5 tons of unused food that was donated to City Harvest from the 2017 United Airlines NYC Half, helping feed the nearly two million New Yorkers who face hunger each year
• 24,192 lbs. or more than 12 tons of clothing that was collected and donated to Goodwill from the 2017 United Airlines NYC Half that was distributed and sold at Goodwill stores throughout the greater New York area