New York Road Runners Improves Access to Year-Round Races—Revamps NYRR 9+1 Member Program – RUNNING USA

New York, Aug. 6, 2026 – New York Road Runners (NYRR)—the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon—today announced updates to its membership offerings to improve access to year-round races, including revamping NYRR 9+1—a longstanding, unique, and cherished program that has, for decades, given nearly 200,000 NYRR members the opportunity to run their hometown marathon.

These updates introduce a free-to-enter drawing for admission to the member-only 9+1 program and eliminate the Member Plus membership tier. Together, these comprehensive changes are designed to create more opportunities for local runners who are not seeking guaranteed entry to the TCS New York City Marathon to participate in NYRR’s nearly 40 other adult races, while streamlining member benefits.

“The hardest thing about completing 9+1 should be running the races—not getting into them,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO. “Over the past 24 months, we conducted an extensive audit and piloted several initiatives to address the overwhelming demand for our races, largely driven by the popularity of the TCS New York City Marathon and the success of our 9+1 program. Now, to ensure more local runners have access to our races year-round, we’ve updated our membership model and revamped 9+1. We look forward to introducing new benefits for all NYRR members over the coming year.”

Free-to-Enter 9+1 Eligibility Drawing

For the first time, New York Road Runners will introduce a free-to-enter random drawing for eligibility to participate in the 9+1 program. As before, members who successfully complete the 9+1 program requirements will receive guaranteed, non-complimentary entry to the TCS New York City Marathon. The difference is that participation in the 9+1 program will now be limited to the 15,000+ members selected through the annual drawing.

• Beginning this year, NYRR members can enter the 9+1 eligibility drawing on nyrr.org from Sept. 17–29, with the drawing taking place on Oct. 1, 2026.
• Entrants must be NYRR members by Sept. 16 and through drawing day to be eligible for selection in the drawing. Members selected for the 2027 9+1 program must complete nine qualifying races and one qualifying volunteer opportunity during the 2027 calendar year to receive guaranteed, non-complimentary entry to the 2028 TCS New York City Marathon (entry fee applies).
• If selected in the 9+1 eligibility drawing, runners will be charged $99 (includes processing fee) and become 9+1 Passholders. New York Road Runners will help ensure Passholders have a clear path to registering for the races and volunteer service needed to complete the program through the new Passholder Race Selection Process.

These updates will not impact members currently pursuing 9+1 to claim their guaranteed entry into the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon.

New York Road Runners will reserve an allotment of complimentary 9+1 Passes for participants in its Race Free program, which provides free race entries to runners who financially qualify. There will also be an allotment of non-complimentary 9+1 Passes reserved for runners nearing Streakers and 15+ status.

The introduction of the drawing is designed to ease demand for race and volunteer registration by limiting the number of runners pursuing 9+1 in any given year, while continuing to provide thousands of New York City–area athletes the opportunity to be a part of the best day of the year, in the best city in the world.

In addition to the 9+1 program, athletes can continue to gain entry to the TCS New York City Marathon through many other guaranteed and non-guaranteed methods, including time qualification, completing 15+ TCS New York City Marathons, NYRR Team for Kids, NYRR Team for Climate, the Official Charity Partner Program, the non-guaranteed entry general drawing, and others. Learn more HERE.

Member Plus Updates

To strengthen the value of New York Road Runners membership and create a more equitable and accessible registration experience for members, NYRR is eliminating its Member Plus tier. Going forward, all NYRR members will have access to advance registration for most non-drawing NYRR races. Members will be able to register for non-drawing races two days earlier than the general public beginning with the registration launch for January–March 2027 races on Oct. 14, 2026.

Beginning Aug. 19, existing Individual Plus and Family Plus members will automatically transition to the corresponding standard membership tier and receive a prorated refund reflecting the difference between the Individual Plus/Family Plus and regular membership prices, based on the time remaining in their membership year.

Over the next 12 months, New York Road Runners will introduce new and exciting member benefits, including exclusive programming and promotions, that build on existing high-value perks like 9+1 eligibility, advance registration, and discounted race entry.

Learn more about the NYRR membership updates and 9+1 eligibility drawing announced today HERE.

Live Podcast Town Hall

Today, Thursday, Aug. 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET, New York Road Runners will host a live NYRR Set the Pace Presented by Peloton podcast member town hall to answer member questions about these updates. Tune in on the New York Road Runners YouTube channel HERE. Members are encouraged to submit questions using the form linked HERE.

About NYRR Membership and the 9+1 Program

Since its founding in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club with 40 members to the world’s premier running organization with nearly 100,000 members. For decades, NYRR membership has provided local runners with a guaranteed pathway to the New York City Marathon by completing qualifying races and volunteer opportunities. This evolved into the 9+1 program and has enabled more than 200,000 local athletes* to run their hometown marathon.

In addition to access to the new 9+1 eligibility drawing and 9+1 Pass, NYRR membership benefits include discounted race entry, advance registration, eligibility for United Airlines NYC Half guaranteed entry through the 4 Out of 6 program, access to sold-out races through the Member-Only Standby List, special discounts and offers, and more.

About the History of the New York City Marathon (1970–2026)

Initially run in 1970 as four-plus laps of Central Park with 55 finishers, the New York City Marathon left the park and was run through the five boroughs for the first time on Oct. 24, 1976, to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial and uplift the city. The landmark move set the standard for the modern marathon event. This year, New York Road Runners is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 5-boro marathon course and setting a goal of raising $100 million for its Official Charity Partner Program, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Produced by the world’s premier running organization, today the TCS New York City Marathon is consistently one of the largest marathons in the world, bringing together 55,000+ participants and more than two million spectators for the best day of the year, in the best city in the world.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR) 

A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running—serving more than half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 50,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds.

To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

RUNNING USA