Abel Kipchumba, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal win men's and women's races at the NYC Half Marathon
The United NYC Half featured Olympians, Paralympians, notable and inspiring runners competing from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- On a brisk morning for competition, 25,000 runners from amateurs to professionals took part in the United Airlines NYC Half from Brooklyn to Manhattan on Sunday.
The event featured Olympians, Paralympians, notable and inspiring runners, New York City agency members in the adult race, and nearly 1,500 youth in the Times Square Kids Run.
Abel Kipchumba won his first NYC Half becoming the men's open division champion in a time of 1:00:25.
The men's race also featured Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, two-time U.S. Olympian Hillary Bor raced the 13.1 miles for the first time in his career and the world's most-decorated distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, returned for his second NYRR event.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal captured the women's open division in a time of 1:09:09 for her first Half win. The women's race was chock-full of established contenders, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat, and Malindi Elmore, in addition to World Championships marathon bronze medalist Fatima Gardadi.
In the men's wheelchair race, Geert Schipper crossed the finish line in 48:43 for his first Half win in the men's wheelchair division.
Susannah Scaroni of the USA defended her women's wheelchair division title with a time of 53:50.
The world's premier half marathon runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing historic landmarks, traversing diverse neighborhoods, and providing sweeping views of the city on the way to the Central Park finish.
The race was streamed live on abc7NY.com.
MORE NYC HALF COVERAGE FROM EYEWITNESS NEWS
Runner-Podcaster opens up about marathon experience, cancer journey:
NYC DOT Commissioner discusses Commissioner's Cup:
Race director talks about NYC Half Marathon:
Cheering on Eyewitness News Reporter Janice Yu in the NYC Half Marathon:
WATCH THE NYC HALF REPLAY HERE
The earlier release from the NYRR is below:
Notable and Inspiring Runners
This year's race will feature a number of notable and inspiring runners, including ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee running in support of mental health for Still I Run; YouTube sensation Casey Neistat running the race for the first time since 2009; Lower Manhattan resident and Vietnamese-American Jackie Quan running with her son as a way to cope with grief and to show other Asian mothers they can run, too; Gretchen Georgeanna Evans, a Texas-based ESPY Award winner who suffered a life-altering brain injury in Afghanistan during her 27-year military career, running on behalf of Team UNBROKEN; and Washington Heights resident and Mexican-American Jacob Hoyos running in support of mental and physical health in the Latinx community.
Professional Athletes
The race will feature 10 Olympians, six Paralympians, and several more professional athletes who have their eyes on the Paris 2024 Games this summer. Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, will headline the men's open division, while two-time U.S. Olympian Hillary Bor will race 13.1 miles for the first time and the world's most-decorated distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, will run his second NYRR event. The women's open division will be chock-full of established contenders, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat, and Karoline Bjerkeli Grvdal. In the wheelchair division Susannah Scaroni will aim to defend her women's title against past champion and five-time TCS New York City Marathon winner Tatyana McFadden and 2024 Tokyo Marathon runner-up Eden Rainbow-Cooper, while Daniel Romanchuk will race for his third title on the men's side.
Commissioner's Cup
Expanded for its second year, the Commissioner's Cup will feature teams from eight partner agencies and the Mayor's Office. Participating in a friendly competition to highlight their decades-long partnership with NYRR will be the reigning champions from the New York Police Department, along with the New York Fire Department, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Parks, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Environmental Protection, the Metropolitan Transit Authority 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. In last year's inaugural edition, the NYPD outpaced the FDNY for the trophy.
Times Square Kids Run
Approximately 1,500 kids will participate in the Times Square Kids Run, which offers a one-mile out and back course in Times Square in addition to short dashes. Participants will include members of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR's free youth program that serves over 137,000 students nationwide, including nearly 60,000 in New York City.
Sustainability Spotlight
NYRR is committed to ensuring future generations have access to clean air, green spaces, and a healthy environment to run in, and is working to minimize the environmental impact of our events. During the United Airlines NYC Half, all finisher medals will be 100 percent recycled steel that are produced domestically and the ribbons will be made from recycled material (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) for the first time ever; the four pace cars will be fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge vehicles; Green Team volunteers will sort waste at five stations; discarded runner clothing from the start area will be collected and donated to All of Us Clothing; leftover food and recovery bags will be donated to City Harvest; and Gatorade and water cups will be composted.
United Airlines NYC Half Experience Presented by New Balance
From March 14 to 16, runners will be greeted by United Airlines flight attendants as they pick up their bibs and race souvenirs, and they will have the opportunity to shop for race merchandise at Center415, located at 415 Fifth Ave., Manhattan. The Experience will be open to the general public.
How to Watch
The event will be covered locally in the tri-state area by ABC New York, Channel 7 with live news cut-ins from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The four professional fields will be covered by a livestream, distributed internationally from NYRR's digital channels, abc7ny.com, ESPN+ and ESPN International, beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET. Reporting live from the Start, Finish, and Times Square will be WABC sports anchors Ryan Field and Sam Ryan, and meteorologist Brittany Bell. Joining the WABC team will be U.S. Olympian Carrie Tollefson, and Peloton Instructor Becs Gentry.
Download the App
The United Airlines NYC Half Mobile App Powered by TCS provides users the opportunity to track their runners on the course and will be available for download on iOS and Android. Fans can watch an uninterrupted live stream of all four professional athlete races and a live look at the finish line throughout race day.
Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Powered by Strava
Runners unable to make it to New York can still participate in the event virtually, running the 13.1-mile distance anywhere around the world at their convenience from March 9 to 17. Participants who complete the Guaranteed Entry tier will earn entry to the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half, and those who register for the Medal Tier will be shipped a finisher medal after completing the race.
To learn more, visit nyrr.org.
