NYRR's Year-Round Impact Empowers a Bright Future in Staten Island

On October 13, more than 10,000 runners will toe the line for the NYRR Staten Island Half. A longtime and much-loved event on the New York Road Runners calendar, the Staten Island Half takes runners on a tour of this amazing borough with a fun and challenging course and stunning views of New York Harbor and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

This year's event includes the inaugural Rising NYRR at the NYRR Staten Island Half for youth in scenic SIUH Community Park. Register for free here.

Just three weeks later, more than 50,000 runners will gather in Staten Island for the start of the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. Staten Island has been the site of the race’s start since 1976, the year it became a citywide five-borough event.

A Presence in Staten Island All Year Long

New York Road Runners has been making a year-round impact in Staten Island that goes far beyond the NYRR Staten Island Half and the TCS New York City Marathon. Every week of the year, NYRR offers free programs in the borough for runners of all ages and abilities.

Here is a look at our impact in Staten Island:

• More than 800 NYRR members reside in Staten Island.
• 955 runners from Staten Island took part in NYRR races in 2023.
• More than 4,200 youth in Staten Island participated in free Rising NYRR programs in the 2023–2024 school year.
• Weekly NYRR Open Runs take place in Staten Island's Conference House Park (pictured below) every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., serving up to 50 runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. Located at the southernmost point of New York City, the park features historic buildings—some more than 300 years old—and views of Raritan Bay.
• Over 20 residents across two sites in Staten Island take part in NYRR Striders, a free walking and fitness program that offers physical activity for older adults.
• About 10 Staten Island residents are participants in NYRR Race Free, which offers race-fee assistance to those who qualify financially.

Two notable running clubs that call Staten Island home are Staten Island AC, one of the oldest running clubs in the New York–metro area; and Club Atlético Hispano Correcaminos, a club founded in 2012 that supports members of all abilities. Look for members of both clubs running and cheering at the NYRR Staten Island Half! To find a club, visit our club directory; you can filter by location and type (social or competitive).

Staten Island was also home to a beloved member of NYRR, Art Hall, who dominated the NYRR race scene in the 1970s through 1990s and was inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame in 2022.

The Greenest Borough

In addition to being the first borough of the TCS New York City Marathon course, Staten Island is also NYC’s greenest borough, with 170 parks covering 12,300 acres of protected land.

Silver Lake Park (pictured above), created in the early 20th century, features 209 acres of recreational facilities and natural space. Miles of trails surround the lake that gives the park its name. Clove Lakes Park is in glacially carved valley dotted with lakes and ponds threaded through with winding, often hilly trails. The park is home to a 300-year-old tulip tree known as “Colossus,” believed to be Staten Island’s oldest tree. In the heart of Staten Island lies the Greenbelt, the borough’s largest park with 2,800 acres of wetlands, meadows, and forests and over 35 miles of trails.