The 2025 Empire State Building Run-Up Returns Oct. 8

Presented by NYU Langone Health and Powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation

Lottery Opens July 14

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Empire State Building (ESB) announced today general lottery registration for the annual Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU) on Oct. 8, 2025, at 8 p.m. ESB also announced the ESBRU will be presented by NYU Langone Health and powered by the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation. General lottery registration will be open from July 14 through July 28, 2025.

In the 47^th annual Run-Up, 225 runners will race up the iconic building’s 1,576 stairs to the world-famous Observatory. This year’s heats will include elite men and women, media, celebrities, New York City real estate brokers, building tenants, CAF athletes, members of the NYPD and FDNY, and the public, among others. On July 30, registered runners will be notified of their race status with participation costs of $175 per runner to be charged only upon acceptance from the lottery.

“We are delighted to welcome NYU Langone Health as our new sponsor and look forward to the arrival of athletes from across the globe for the world’s most famous tower race – the 47^th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up,” said Tony Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. “Runners will test their limits once again in this bucket list race to the top of Tripadvisor’s number one rated attraction in the world. We wish everyone good luck on the lottery.”

As presenting sponsor for the first time, NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system – with seven inpatient locations and more than 320 outpatient locations – that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation.

Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF) serves as the official charity partner of the ESBRU once again with a designated division for athletes with permanent physical disabilities and CAF supporters who raise funds to empower lives through sports. Runners can bypass the lottery and run with #TeamCAF with a guaranteed charity fundraising entry found online.

The 2025 ESBRU is produced by Super Race Systems.

More information about the Empire State Building Run-Up and the official lottery entry can be found online. Hi-res imagery and video from previous years can be downloaded here.

About the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building, the “World's Most Famous Building," owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT: NYSE), soars 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan from base to antenna. The $165 million reimagination of the Empire State Building Observatory Experience created an all-new experience with a dedicated guest entrance, an interactive museum with nine galleries, and a redesigned 102^nd Floor Observatory with floor-to-ceiling windows. The journey to the world-famous 86^th Floor Observatory, the only 360-degree, open-air observatory with views of New York and beyond, orients visitors for their entire New York City experience and covers everything from the building's iconic history to its current place in pop culture. The Empire State Building Observatory Experience welcomes millions of visitors each year and was declared the #1 Attraction in the World – and #1 Attraction in the U.S. for the third consecutive year – in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do, "America's Favorite Building" by the American Institute of Architects, the world's most popular travel destination by Uber, and the #1 New York City attraction in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List.

Since 2011, the building has been fully powered by renewable wind electricity, and its many floors house a diverse array of office tenants such as LinkedIn and Shutterstock, as well as retail options like STATE Grill and Bar, Tacombi, and Starbucks. For more information and Observatory Experience tickets visit esbnyc.com or follow the building's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Weibo, YouTube, or TikTok.