The New York Road Runners (NYRR) were back in Central Park in New York City, New York on June 23, 2019 for the Achilles Hope & Possibility 4M. This amazing race brought athletes with disabilities and able bodies runners together for a race through the park side by side. Achilles International, the main sponsor of this race, brings together athletes of all types of disabilities so that they may participate in mainstreamed running events to promote the athlete’s personal achievement. This race hosted 5,882 race finishers (2,898 men and 2,984 women) which included handcyclists, wheelchair athletes, mobility-impaired athletes, and able bodied runners.

There are pre-race and post-race activities put on in front of the Naumburg Bandshell, not far from Bethesda Terrace and Bethesda Fountain, where music is played, there are various photo opportunities, and sponsors have booths set up with information and some free giveaways. The crowd at both at the festivities and the race itself was abuzz with excitement and created a friendly atmosphere to run in which was extremely nice.

The Achilles Hope & Possibility 4M is a race through the “inner loop” of Central Park. This race is set up in corrals and has staggered starts. Runners will start on East Drive near East 68th Street and run north, ascending Cat Hill in Mile 1. You continue north and and pass Engineers’ Gate at East 90th Street. Then you will turn left onto the 102nd Street Transverse as you approach Mile 2. Shortly after passing Mile 2 you will turn left on West Drive and run south through a series of three rolling hills as you pass the Reservoir on your left coming up to Mile 3. In the last mile of the race (Mile 4) runners will enjoy a downhill run as they approach the finish near The Tavern on the Green where they are awarded beautiful finisher medals.

I highly recommend this race to all runners as it’s a great distance and supports such an amazing cause.

The 15K Run to the Port Jeff Brewing Company is unofficially titled the “run you love to hate” and after running it myself I can say that that is quite accurate. This race is located in Port Jefferson, New York on Long Island. It’s sponsored by the Port Jeff Brewing Company and put on by the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC). This race is for runners who love and welcome a challenge. The course was purposefully designed to be mile for mile the toughest course on Long Island. It is nothing but steep hill climbs with smaller rolling hills in between them.

One of the great things about this race is the beautiful views of the Long Island Sound that runners will have in several locations along the course. Running through the hills of Belle Terre and looking out onto the water was breath taking (in more ways than one). For those runners that tough it out and finish the race, a party fit for the challenge you just completed is waiting for you. This well organized event ends with a wonderful finisher medal (that, given that it’s sponsored by a brewery, incorporates a bottle opener into its design), live music, free food, free drinks (including beer provided by the Port Jeff Brewery), and some great raffle prizes await all finishers. The finishers’ awards for this race were Port Jeff Brewing Company beer mugs mounted on wooden stands with a small plaque stating the winners’ finisher place. The race also offers free race photos taken by “Long Island Running Photos”.

Along this 9.3 mile course there are four water stations. Normally this might seem like enough but considering this was designed to be the toughest course on Long Island I would suggest trying to add at least one more. (Which is currently being considered by the directors.) I am thankful however that there were several families outside their houses with children handing out small Dixie cups of water along the course. It was really cute and very helpful. Water stations were located just before Mile 2, Mile 3.5, Mile 5, and a little before Mile 7. There were also mile markers at each mile along with a time clock which was nice.

The race starts off on East Broadway in Port Jefferson and heads up into Belle Terre. Runners will hit the first and biggest hill of the race right out of the gate in Mile 1. Keep those legs pumping. This hill is long and steep. Some runners may think it’s great that the toughest hill is at the start because you have all of your energy and fresh legs while others will feel that you are using a lot of energy right at the start and the rest of the race may be more difficult for it. (But remember, this race was designed to be hard!) There are a few different locations in this course that give you a beautiful view of the Long Island Sound. After the 5K mark you hit a out and back that takes you downhill to the water (smile for the cameraman!). (Out and backs are when you run to a “dead end” and turn back and run back the way you just came.) The hill you are now running again, up this time, is long so pace yourself. Things progress nicely with several smaller rolling hills throughout the course until you come on to Mile 7 and start approaching the third hill which is the second biggest of the course. This is where many runners began to walk. This hill is long and brutal. In fact, it’s the longest hill of the race. I kept my legs pumping but even still, given the steepness of the hill I was still going at a slow pace. The tricky thing about this particular hill is that when you got to what you thought is the top and make a left turn onto another street you realize that the hill continues going up. When you make it up this hill you have a nice steady downhill for a while along with several more small rolling hills. You then approach one last steep hill climb followed by a downhill run all the way to the finish that will pass the Port Jefferson Library on Thompson Street and East Main Street. Runners will then finish in front of the Port Jeff Brewing Company on Mill Creek Road. When all is said and done you finish a course with a 921 foot elevation gain! GREAT JOB!

Given the location of the race the town couldn’t close every single road along this route but they had volunteers and police officers positioned at roads and intersections stopping any traffic so that runners could get by. I have to say they did a great job. There was one moment however where a driver came out of their driveway and got stuck behind the runners who (obviously) kept running their race and wouldn’t move out of the way. A volunteer eventually ran over to the honking car and instructed it to pull over until the runners went by.

One thing that I loved was that as you crossed the finish line an announcer called out your name and hometown over the PA system so that runners and spectators could cheer you on. This was really nice. Finishing this race is known to be a badge of honor among runners on Long Island. A big thank you goes out to the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC) for hosting such a great race. I’m definitely looking forward to it next year!

Put on by the New York Road Runners this was the 15th Annual “UAE Healthy Kidney 10K” to raise awareness for the National Kidney Foundation and kidney health and disease. This race was held in Central Park in New York City, NY. There was no expo for this particular race but there were pre and post race festivities that were a lot of fun. They had various informational booths, music being played by a DJ, big giveaways, and various booths that allowed attendees to experience the culture of the United Arab Emirates. This was a decent sized race consisting of 7,695 total finishers (4,211 men and 3,484 women). Register for a great tech shirt with the race logo and finish this race and you'll be rewarded a beautiful finisher medal.

This particular course is slightly more than one counter-clockwise lap of Central Park’s six mile loop. Runners start out in Central Park near the Naumberg Bandshell heading North. You soon hit Cedar Hill, better known as “Cat Hill” for a tough climb. (Keep those legs pumping!) You then continue along East River Drive as you pass the Reservoir on your left. As you approach the second mile there is a steady downhill. Coming up on Mile 3 you pass 102nd Street and start to climb Harlem Hill. This will be the toughest climb of the race. Again, keep those legs pumping. This is one tough hill! Mile 4 brings a set of rolling hills as you start to head South on West Drive. You’re almost to the end. Just keep going and enjoy the beautiful trees around you. You’ll pass The Lake on your left as you near Mile 5. After Mile 5 you’ll complete the lower loop of the park as the course turns back onto East Drive. Keep going, you’re almost to the finish! The last 1.2 miles of the race will have you heading back North on East Drive as you pass the start line on 69th Street and then turn left at the 72nd Street Transverse and continue toward the finish line. You’ll finish near Bethesda Terrace which offers some great spots for post-race photos. Be sure to grab some of the post race treats offered by the NYRRs. This year they handed out water, apples, pretzels, and bagels.

This is a really fun race and it is a great race to run if you are looking to support a great cause. This 10K brings out the great running community of New York City and everyone should look into running it.

Put on by the New York Road Runners this was the 16th Annual “Run As One 4M” to raise awareness of Lung Cancer. This race was held in Central Park in New York City, NY. There was no expo for this particular race but there were pre and post race festivities that despite the rain all morning, and throughout the entire race, continued as planned. The festivities were fun. They had various informational booths, music being played by a DJ, games, a giveaway, and an award ceremony. Though “small” this was still a decent sized race that consisted of 6,107 total finishers (3,244 men and 2,863 women). Register for a great short sleeve tech shirt with the race logo on front and back. Unfortunately there is no finisher medal for this race.

Runners start out in Central Park near the Naumberg Bandshell heading North. You soon hit Cedar Hill, better known as “Cat Hill” for a tough climb. (Keep those legs pumping!) You then continue along the East River Drive as you pass the Reservoir on your left. As you approach the second mile there is a steady downhill as you turn just after 102nd Street and soon come onto West Park Drive heading South. As you make this turn you hit the course’s second big hill that will take you through to mile three. Again, you pass the Reservoir on your left. After mile three you hit another steady downhill as you pass The Lake on the left. After one last small rolling hill you start to come into the home stretch ending on Terrace Drive just before you reach Bethesda Terrace. Bethesda Terrace and Bethesda Fountain offer great spots for post-race photos.

Despite the rain all morning this was a really fun race and was well organized. This is a great race to run if you are looking to support a great cause. At only 4 miles this is a quick run that gets you active and a part of a great running community in New York City.

The New York Road Runners always put on an amazing event and this race was no exception. I highly recommend this race to all runners.

The expo for the race was small but it offered a lot of great merchandise, fun photo opportunities, and activities for people to take part in. There was unfortunately no pre or post race festivities. The race itself was extremely well organized however. The race start had a very smooth bag check area, plenty of bathrooms for runners, and a fully stocked medical tent. Runners were given heat blankets to stay warm and had music to listen too and get pumped by playing over a PA system. There was also large screens displaying which Wave was coming up and their starting time. This was a great starting area to get warmed up in with the other 25,000 runners in the race. Register for a great long sleeve tech shirt with the race logo and finish this race and you'll be rewarded a beautiful finisher medal that displays the sights of NYC.

The NYRR selected a new course route this year and it was absolutely perfect. The course had a flat middle that was sandwiched by hills at the start and finish. With the addition of running by several iconic New York City areas, the scenery of the route couldn’t have been better.

Starting out in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, runners hit Battle Pass Hill right away with fresh legs. Runners pass Soldiers and Sailors Arch in Grand Army Plaza as they head out onto Flatbush Avenue towards the Manhattan Bridge. Running over the bridge gives runners their first look at the beautiful New York skyline to the left. A quick hairpin turn puts you on the FDR Drive running along the East River on a long flat stretch where runners settle into their race pace. A left hand turn at the United Nations building onto 42nd Street brings cheering crowds and a steady incline to 7th Avenue. 7th Avenue will bring arguably the best sight of the race in the form of Times Square and thousands of cheering spectators. Running through the heart of New York City is a breath taking experience. After Times Square runners enter Central Park on the East side and come across several rolling hills and run past Bethesda Terrace. The home stretch brings you past Tavern on the Green and finishers cross the finish line along with runners from all around the world.

If you are looking for an amazing Half Marathon to run, the NYC sights and organization of this race make it one of the best and I highly recommend it.