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United Airlines NYC Half

New York, NY · Sun, March 14, 2027 · 07:00 start

The verdict

Beginner-friendly half.

Moderate to run · high friction to enter and reach.

CompareEntry closes Sep 22
01

How it runs

Course shapemostly flat
START13.1 MI
44 ft climb / milefinishes level with the start

Schematic, not a course profile. The slope is the real net gradient from start to finish; the hatching is total climbing, drawn evenly because we don't yet hold where on the course it falls.

Race morning
40→44 °F
Race-morning temperatureRace-morning temperature · High confidenceNOAA 1991–2020 climate normals30-year normal at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: A normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.
25°F90°F

Cooler than 92% of the 39 races we track.

Dew point at the startDew point at the start · High confidenceNOAA 1991–2020 climate normals30-year normal at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Same caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.
10°F78°F

Drier than 100% of the 39 races we track. Dew point, not humidity — it's what actually caps how fast you can shed heat.

Climbing per mileClimbing per mile · Medium confidenceThe race's published course dataTotal elevation gain divided by 13.1 miles.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Total gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.
0 ft160 ft

Flatter than only 3% of the 39 races we track.

Climate: 30-year normal · NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, sampled at the start line and start hour. The morning band is climatology plus uniform typical post-dawn warming, not a measured hourly series. Elevation from the race's published course data.

02

Can you qualify here

M 18-34 · 4:00:00

NYC Marathon TQ (via half marathon)

+29:24
Standard
1:21:00
Your projection
1:50:24
Chance
0%
03

Training plans for this race

Just Finish Strong

Build the habit, cross the line healthy

Solid First Time

Race-ready training, target 4:00–4:30

Ambitious BQ Track

Chase a Boston-relevant time, peak volume

04

What the United Airlines NYC Half really costs

A first marathon costs more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.

Entry fee
Entry fee · Medium confidenceThe organiser's registration pageThe price listed when this race was catalogued.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Most races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
Travel + 3 hotel nights (est.)
~$910from South Florida
Registration closes
Tue, September 22, 2026
All-in cost against the catalogAll-in cost estimate · Low confidenceMarathon Compass travel modelEntry plus travel and 1 hotel night, estimated from South Florida. Halves assume a shorter trip than the catalog's race-weekend baseline — 2 nights removed at an assumed $150/night.Where this can be wrong: A crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.
$0$2,700

Cheaper than only 33% of the 39 races we price. Entry plus travel and 1 hotel night, estimated from South Florida. Halves assume a shorter trip than the catalog's race-weekend baseline — 2 nights removed at an assumed $150/night.

Register for the United Airlines NYC Half →
05

Green Score breakdown

Method →

The original five-axis composite. It's kept for continuity and for the methodology page, but it mixes how hard a race is to run with how hard it is to enter — which is why the four dimensions above lead instead.

7.3/ 10 composite

Travel5.0

Distance and cost of getting there from home.

Logistics5.2

How hard it is to get an entry.

Terrain6.3

Climb and net gradient — how hard the ground is.

Field9.0

Field size and pacing support on course.

Climate10.0

Typical race-morning heat and dew point.

Times Square finish. Lottery + 9+1 NYRR path. Rolling.

The verdict
Best forBeginner-friendly half
Course difficultyModerate
Planning frictionHigh friction
Est. course effect—
First-timer score7.9/10
Race morning · 30-year normal
Start temp
40 °F
Dew point
28 °F
Precipitation
—

Typical race-morning total

Field size
25,000
Getting in · getting there
Entrylottery · $150
Draw closesSep 22, 2026 — 16 days
Trip estimate~$1,060

About the United Airlines NYC Half

The United Airlines NYC Half is a half marathon held in New York, NY on March 14, 2027 (projected — not yet officially announced). With a Green Score of 7.3/10, it's a moderate race. The course is mostly flat (~44 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a cool 40°F, dew point ~28°F (30-year normal, NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Entry is around $150. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.

What the heat costs you at the United Airlines NYC Half

A typical race morning here scores 68 on the temperature-plus-dew-point scale our pace engine runs daily (40°F + 28°F, 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020)) — a 0% pace penalty. Heat should not be a factor at the United Airlines NYC Half in a typical year — race your fitness.

100
130
150
68 — typical race morning at the United Airlines NYC Half on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)

Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.

Entry strategy

Entry is by lottery with roughly 20% historical acceptance — plan like you might not get in.

  1. Lottery entry deadlineSeptember 22, 2026in 16d
  2. Registration closesSeptember 22, 2026in 16d
  3. Lottery results announcedOctober 6, 2026in 30d
  4. Race dayMarch 14, 2027
Official registration →Add these dates to your calendar (.ics)

Plan B: if entry doesn't go your way, Publix Gasparilla Half Marathon (February 21, 2027, open entry, Green Score 9.1) or Life Time Miami Half (January 31, 2027, open entry, Green Score 8.9) keeps the same training block on schedule.

Where to stay

Point-to-point course: stay near the finish, not the start — you'll be glad at mile 26, and shuttles run to the start. Hotels near the United Airlines NYC Half start selling out 8–10 months ahead with race-weekend minimum stays — book refundable, book early. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (March 12, 2027 → March 15, 2027).

Race-weekend hotels on Booking.com →Compare on Expedia →

Some hotel and book links may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. Official registration is never an affiliate.

Next

Plan the day itself.

When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time United Airlines NYC Half spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.

Build your race-day timeline →
Compare head-to-head

Evidence

Audited 2026-07-17

Every figure on this page, what it came from, and where it can be wrong. Ordered least-trustworthy first — the estimates are the ones worth checking yourself before they cost you money or a race.

FigureSourceCheckedConfidence
All-in cost estimateMarathon Compass travel modelA crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.—Low confidence
Lottery acceptanceHistorical lottery resultsDemand moves this a lot year to year. A race that gets popular can halve its acceptance rate in one cycle.Jul 17, 2026Low confidence
Race dateProjected from prior editionsNot announced yet — treat as indicative and confirm before booking travel.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Climbing per mileThe race's published course dataTotal gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Net gradientThe race's published course dataDrives the BAA downhill adjustment, so an error here changes the Boston verdict. Their official course designation is what actually counts.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Entry feeThe organiser's registration pageMost races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Field sizeThe organiser or published resultsField sizes drift year to year and entries sold are not finishers.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Race-morning temperatureNOAA 1991–2020 climate normalsA normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.Jul 17, 2026High confidence
Dew point at the startNOAA 1991–2020 climate normalsSame caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.Jul 17, 2026High confidence

Fees, dates and qualifying rules change often, and we would rather hear it from you than have it sit here wrong — report incorrect information.