Local Runners Struggle to Get Into NYRR Races

Lisabeth Shlansky doesn’t remember exactly where she was on the evening of the most recent New York Road Runners registration period for members, January 29. But it’s likely she was delivering a baby.

Shlansky, 63, is an obstetrician, and she can’t always get to her computer when registration for NYRR races opens four times per year at 6 p.m. And runners typically have to be on by 5 p.m. to be placed in a queue for the opportunity to register for events coming up over the next few months.

hat evening in January, Shlansky logged on at 5:55 p.m., and by the time it was her turn to register for races in April, May, and June 2026, they were all filled.

“I got shut out,” Shlansky said. “I waited in a queue for an hour. I finally got out of the queue, and all the races were sold out literally within an hour. It’s been bad in years gone by, but this year was absolutely 100 percent out of control.”

Demand trickles down

What’s driving the demand for these four-milers and five-milers and the 10Ks, the races that happen on weekends, primarily in Central Park, and turning the registration process into something akin to scoring Taylor Swift concert tickets?

It’s simple: Guaranteed entry into the next year’s New York City Marathon for people who complete nine of those races and volunteer once in a calendar year. Runners refer to the program with the shorthand “9+1.” New York Road Runners leaders see the blessing and the curse. On the blessing side: the popularity of the NYC Marathon.

“Demand to get into the TCS New York City Marathon is massive and growing,” said CEO Rob Simmelkjaer in an interview with Runner’s World. As a measure of that demand, in the recent drawing for entry into the race, about 1 percent of 240,000 applicants made it in.

The 9+1 program, on the other hand, provides a guaranteed way for New York-area runners to get into the marathon. In 2025, there was a 7 percent increase in runners who completed the 9+1. NYRR doesn’t publicize exact numbers but well more than a quarter of all 2026 entrants to the marathon will be people who completed the 9+1 program last year.

And that demand for 9+1 entry means ever-increasing numbers of people are trying to register for the NYRR weekly races. The nonprofit puts on about 40 adult races every year. In 2026, 33 in-person races and three virtual events will be designated as 9+1 qualifiers.

New York Road Runners can’t simply add more 9+1 events, however. The organization needs to secure permits from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and other city agencies for events.

And they can’t simply add more runners to each event. Permits come with caps on numbers of participants. Then there’s the matter of logistics. The four-mile course in Central Park starts and ends in the same place, with the race’s winners running faster than 5:00 pace. They’ll be done in about 20 minutes, and won’t be able to access the finish line if thousands of people are still trying to cross the start line.

No easy fixes

The organization is experimenting with different forms of membership and registration. In 2017, they introduced a “member plus” option, which is double the price—$126.90 versus $63.45 for an individual membership. Those who belong to member plus get to sign up for races two days early—on a Tuesday instead of on a Thursday.