ACHILLES ATHLETE FAQ

If you live in the U.S. and you are an Achilles AWD, please either claim your guaranteed entry or enter the drawing in February.

Also, in your MyNYRR profile please select “Achilles International” as your team affiliation and select that you are an athlete with a disability (AWD). Also make sure you are officially registered as a member of Achilles International.

If you live outside of the U.S. and you are an Achilles AWD, please either claim your guaranteed entry or enter the drawing. The lottery for AWDs (ambulatory, handcycle, and pushrim) opens on February 11th at 12pm and closes on February 25th at 11:59pm. The drawing takes place on March 5th.  There is a separate application for duo teams through duoteams@nyrr.org with a drawing in July 2025.

Also, in your MyNYRR profile please select “Achilles International” as your team affiliation and select that you are an athlete with a disability (AWD).

If you have questions, contact Karen Lewis at klewis@achillesinternational.org.

1. Celebrate!

2. If you’re not training already, start. Reach out to your Achilles contact(s) if you want support with a training plan.

3. Achilles staff will be sending out important communication that will require response starting in April. If it is April 30 and you have not heard from Achilles regarding this event, please reach out to your Achilles contact to let us know that you are indeed participating.

Early start times are assigned based on previous marathon results.  If this is your first marathon and you are anticipating being on the course for more than 10 hours, please communicate this to NYRR.

NYRR provides a complementary race entry to support runners and guides at the NYC Marathon. If you feel that it is necessary to have a second guide for safety reasons, please indicate that you are requesting two guides when registering through the NYRR link, and your request will be reviewed.

In April, Achilles will be emailing you a Rosterfy form and in that form, you will be asked about your guide/support runner needs. Please fill it out thoroughly and we will help you hatch a plan.

Achilles International does not control the dates and deadlines for guide registration.

Typically the final deadline to register guides is in August.

Guides will receive an invitation to accept and register as a guide.  Guides are not fully registered until they have completed this process.

Please contact Francesco Magisano at fmagisano@achillesinternational.org and please note “NYCM Guide Replacement” in the subject line of your email message to Francesco.

Please visit NYRR’s official race page for cancellation details.

We do! Discounted rates are being offered for Achilles AWDs at the Element hotel on West 39th St.

*Achilles will email you in April to request your specific needs through Rosterfy.

Yes, Achilles will host a Pre-Marathon Celebration at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square on Friday night.

*This event is invite only for athletes, guides and charity runners. Details will be emailed to eligible participants.

Timing and further detail regarding the NYC Marathon Expo will be announced at a later date on the NYRR NYC Marathon webpage. If you are participating with a guide(s) you should plan on attending the Expo together. At the Expo, your first step is to stop by the NYRR AWD booth and pick up your race number and your NYC Marathon souvenir shirt. Next, please stop by the Achilles info booth to say hello to our team and pick up a new Achilles racing jersey for the big day. Please remember that for safety reasons it is important that all participants sport their Achilles racing jersey.

We will have staff on hand to help with the handcycle/racing wheelchair drop off. Please make sure that your handcycle has a flag and drafting bar when you drop it off. You may bring your helmet to the bike load if you wish. Your racing chair will be safely transported to the start where it will be waiting for you on race morning.

More information on equipment drop-off will be shared in the fall. If you have any questions or concerns about the equipment load in, please contact Hand Cycle Equipment manager, Domenic Romano at dromano@achillesinternational.org .

NYRR will provide information on bag check for AWDs and Guides via email. This information will be provided by NYRR and not by Achilles International.

Rest assured that any adaptive/medical equipment you need with you before the Start will be able to be checked at the start village shortly before you are moved to the actual start line. All of your baggage should be marked with your name, phone number, “Achilles,” and ideally your race number. You may retrieve baggage at the AWD post-finish area. If for some reason you finish after 5:00pm on race day, your baggage will likely be moved to the actual Finish line. NYRR volunteers and staff as well as Achilles staff and volunteers will be tracking this for you. If you participate with a guide or support runner they can check their baggage with yours.

NYRR will be providing information on the meetup time and location for athlete and guides to board the buses on race morning on the official race page in late October.

Unfortunately, no. Only AWDs and their guides are permitted to board the AWD bus and access the AWD starting area.

We’ll be hosting a cheer station at Engineer’s Gate at 5th Avenue and East 90th. Join a crew of enthusiastic supporters cheering on wheelers, runners and guides from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM on race day.

Tell all your friends and family to come cheer! They can join for an hour or stay the whole time - we promise it will be great!

If your guide is not feeling well or has become injured and is not able to complete the second half of the race, you may request a backup guide at mile 13.6 in Queens. As you approach Vernon Blvd from 48th Avenue, please look for the Standby Guide Exchange sign on the left side of the course at the corner of Vernon and 48th Ave. Upon arrival, the injured guide runners should inform the volunteer team lead that they will be exiting the course and we will assign you a fresh guide based on your time goal. We have a limited number of standby guides so please only ask for a standby guide in the event of an emergency. A standby guide may only enter the course if a guide has exited the course.

1. Be super proud of yourself!

2. Once an athlete (and perhaps guide) crosses the Finish line you get your medal, get an official photo taken if you’d like, get a fuel/food bag and then stay to the left and exit Central Park heading West (left) on 72nd Street. There should be Achilles volunteers spotting to usher you out this way, but please look lively so you do not miss your exit. This exit is an accommodation for all AWD’s. The rest of the participants continue north (straight), so you want to be sure not to miss it. If you check baggage, it will be held for you outside of this special exit.

In addition to race participants, only medical personnel, Achilles staff and credentialed volunteers will be permitted into the post-finish area. This area is simply a pit-stop to collect your baggage and exit the race area. Please make arrangements with your loved ones to meet you outside the race area.

Achilles will have a small fleet of minivans to transport as many athletes as possible on a rolling basis from the post finish area to the Element hotel on West 39th Street. If you need to go elsewhere, please make arrangements. There are several Subway train stations and buses on the Upper West Side that are within a 5 to 15 minute stroll from the AWD post finish area. It is also possible to catch a taxi, Lyft or Uber - but be mindful of the volume of people and plan accordingly.