FISHER LOOKING FOR A CERTAIN FEELING AT SUNDAY’S NYC HALFBy David Monti, @d9monti(c) 2026 Race Outcomes Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.
NEW YORK (12-Mar) — On a cloudy and uncooked morning right here with rain spitting down in Decrease Manhattan, double-Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher addressed a clutch of reporters on the base of the Brooklyn Bridge the place, on Sunday, he may have simply handed the eight-kilometer mark of the United Airways NYC Half, America’s largest half-marathon with some 30,000 runners. Fisher, 28, will probably be making his long-awaited half-marathon debut –and operating his first-ever street race— and he tried to place into phrases what would outline a profitable race for him.
“That’s a troublesome query,” stated Fisher, who’s the North American document holder for 10,000m (26:33.84). “I’m chasing extra of a sense than a time or a spot.” He added: “I’m the rookie now.”
Sunday’s race, the nineteenth version, incorporates a very good skilled subject which boasts 26 Olympians and Paralympians. Ten males –led by defending champion and occasion document holder, Abel Kipchumba of Kenya (58:07 PB)– have damaged 60 minutes for the half-marathon throughout their careers. More likely to be up on the entrance with Fisher will probably be fellow American Alex Maier (59:23 PB), Canadian Rory Linkletter (59:49), Kenyan Daniel Ebenyo (59:04), Moroccan Mohammed El Youssfi (59:21), Norwegian Sondre Nordstad Moen (59:48), and South African Adriaan Wildschutt (59:13).
However in contrast to many of the world’s top-quality half-marathons, there will probably be no pacemakers shepherding the leaders from Prospect Park in Brooklyn to Central Park in Manhattan. Just like the TCS New York Metropolis Marathon, the course is decidedly arduous with a sequence of hills within the first eight kilometers, adopted by a flat(ish) part within the center, and a remaining 5 kilometers which is almost all uphill. That’s nice with Fisher, who sees Sunday’s race as each an necessary studying alternative and a difficult competitors.
“One of many causes I picked this race is as a result of time doesn’t matter,” Fisher stated. “Technically, it’s a record-ineligible course, in order that wipes one factor from my thoughts. I can simply deal with racing. I’m up towards among the greatest half-marathoners on the planet, individuals who have far more expertise than me.” He continued: “I’m right here to study. I’m right here to push myself. I’m finally right here to determine if I’ve a future on this aspect of the game.”
With no Olympic Video games or World Athletics Championships this yr, 2026 is a good yr for athletes like Fisher to experiment, particularly these from North America who don’t have to fret about both this summer season’s Commonwealth Video games or European Athletics Championships. Fisher may have loads of time to recuperate from the half-marathon earlier than opening his observe season which is able to embody the Prefontaine Basic in Eugene, Oregon, in early July (the place he’ll run the two-mile), and the USATF Outside Observe & Area Championships right here in New York on the finish of the identical month. The additional miles he has put in at excessive altitude at his winter coaching base in Flagstaff, Arizona, will assist him each on Sunday and afterward the observe.
“There have been a whole lot of issues which stayed the identical,” Fisher stated of his coaching beneath coach Mike Scannell. “Extra quantity is sort of the factor. Extra mileage, longer exercises, specializing in fueling, racing on the roads, new footwear, so a whole lot of issues to alter and rethink. I really feel like we’ve had some actually good prep, so I’m excited and able to go. It feels actual now.”
Though Fisher confined himself to competing solely on the observe since wrapping up his NCAA profession at Stanford within the spring of 2019, he was a wonderful cross nation runner throughout his collegiate profession. He took second on the NCAA Championships in 2018, and fifth in each 2017 and 2016. He stated he was ready for the ups and downs of Sunday’s race.
“I’ve been at 7000 ft (2134m) of altitude so even the smallest hill feels fairly aggressive,” Fisher defined. “My hill exercises are longer. I’m purposely having hilly routes on my simple runs the place usually I attempt to discover a flat, quite simple run to do.” He continued: “The hills are all initially and the tip of this course. They’ll beat us up at first. Hopefully I can calm down a bit within the center after we’re going up the east aspect of the island, then after we get within the park it’s hilly once more. I’ll watch how persons are reacting and surging and base my strikes off of that.”
The closest parallel for Fisher’s transfer from the observe to the roads is when Galen Rupp made his half-marathon debut on the NYC Half in 2010. Like Fisher, he did an indoor observe season and got here in with a quick 10,000m private greatest (27:10.74 at the moment). Though he fell within the early levels of the race and banged his hip, the then 24 year-old ran 1:00:30 and completed third (the course was totally different then with a 28m elevation loss). He moved to the marathon 5 years later, finally profitable an Olympic bronze medal in 2016, the Chicago Marathon in 2017, and operating a private greatest of two:06:07 (pre supershoes).
Though Fisher alluded to his potential curiosity within the New York Metropolis Marathon in his feedback at this time, he didn’t need to get forward of himself. He emphasised that he wanted to really feel one thing particular after Sunday’s race earlier than taking one other shot at high-level street racing.
“Whether or not it means I win the race or I get thirtieth within the race, will probably be a sense that I’m searching for of, is there extra to present right here, or do I want to stay on the observe slightly longer?” Fisher informed reporters. “That’s what I’m searching for right here. It’s actually arduous to explain. It’s not a time, it’s not a spot. It’s a sense of competitors and a sense of wanting one thing extra out of myself. I’ll let you recognize after if I discover it.”
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The United Airways NYC Half will probably be coated regionally within the Tri-State space by ABC New York, Channel 7 with dwell information cut-ins between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. EDT The skilled races will probably be coated by livestreams on ESPN+, abc7ny.com, and New York Highway Runners digital channels starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT.
ENDS
Bonus! If you wish to see Grant Fisher’s interview from January 2026 in #SocialingtheDistance, please go right here: https://www.runblogrun.com/2026/01/socialingthedistance-episode-139-grant-fisher-olympic-bronze-medalist-10000m-5000m-talks-track.html?swcfpc=1
