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Fifth Avenue Mile
1 mile in New York City, normally held in September. A mixed 5K and shorter course — Straight, net-downhill mile from 80th to 60th Street.
The Fifth Avenue Mile at a glance
| Distances | 1 mile |
|---|---|
| Main distance | 1.6 km (5K and shorter) |
| Usually held | September |
| Course | Mixed |
| City | New York City, United States |
| Typical conditions | 24.8°C high / 16.5°C low, rain on ~32% of days |
Straight, net-downhill mile from 80th to 60th Street.
Entering the Fifth Avenue Mile
Entry fees, closing dates and start times are set by the organiser and change every year, so they are not reproduced here — a stale deadline is worse than none. The organiser’s own site and its social channels are the authoritative source for the current year, and are where entry opens.
What is stable, and what this page covers: the month the race is held, what the course is like, the conditions you should expect, and how long a build-up the distance needs.
Weather at previous Fifth Avenue Mile races
Across the last ten years, New York City in September has averaged a daily high of 24.8°C and a low of 16.5°C, with at least a millimetre of rain on about 32% of days.
These are recorded observations for the race month averaged over ten years, not a forecast and not a single past race day — race dates move, so one day’s figures would mislead. Source: Open-Meteo historical archive.
How to prepare for the Fifth Avenue Mile
How long to train
Build for 6 to 8 weeks from a base you already hold rather than from nothing. For 5K and shorter the block should peak at a longest run of 8–10 km, reached at least two weeks before race day so there is time to taper. Ten days of reduced volume is enough of a taper at this distance; keep one short session at race pace in the final week.
Training for this course
The course mixes surfaces and gradients, so build a training block that does the same rather than repeating one flat loop. Vary where you run week to week so nothing on race day is unfamiliar.
Conditions in September
Conditions are usually good for racing: highs average 24.8°C and lows 16.5°C in September, which is close to ideal for 5K and shorter running. Dress for the temperature about ten degrees warmer than it actually is, since you will warm up within two kilometres.
Race week
Sleep matters most two nights before, not the night before, so protect that one. Keep eating normally with a modest tilt toward carbohydrate, lay out kit the night before, and do nothing new: no new shoes, no new breakfast, no new socks. Plan to arrive at the start with time to spare — 5K and shorter fields move slowly through bag drop and security.
Distances and where the race is run
- 1 mile — 1.6 km
The pin marks New York City city centre, the area the Fifth Avenue Mile starts and finishes in. This is not the course line: the route is set by the organiser and changes between editions, so the official course map for the current year is theirs to publish. The routes below are for training on the same roads.
Train on these roads: 10K routes in New York City · long runs in New York City · GPS art routes
Other races in New York City
- TCS New York City Marathon — Marathon, November
- United Airlines NYC Half — Half marathon, March
- RBC Brooklyn Half — Half marathon, May