NYC 12 Mile Race 2026

Central Park serves as the main venue: a marathon-training race intended to help runners prepare for the TCS New York City Marathon and focus on their longer build. The NYC 12 Mile Race is part of a two-race training series, an organized effort that feels more like a serious checkpoint than a spectacle, with other runners likely doing the same calculations. The run is designed to support your training plan and prepare you to take on 26.2 miles, so anticipate a practical, steady morning rather than a novelty course. What distinguishes it is the Stride for Stride initiative, where bibs are purchased for immigrant, BIPOC, and low-income runners as part of a mission to make races more accessible and diverse.