The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998, to honor those who have contributed to the sport of
distance running
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength.
Within e ...
. Many of those who are inducted have achieved great success as runners, but some members are enshrined for their ability to bring fame and recognition to the sport of running. Many of the individuals inducted into this prestigious Hall of Fame, are extremely influential in regard to the recognition and progress the American distance running has undergone throughout the years.
The National Distance Running
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
is located in
Utica,
New York, United States. Inside the Hall are pictures, videos and other memorabilia that provide the history of the sport through the eyes of both the runners and spectators. The city of Utica was selected to be the home of the running hall of fame because it hosts the annual
Boilermaker Road Race—one of the largest 15km road races in the US. The Boilermaker Road race attracts thousands of racers, and thousands of more spectators to the City of Utica, New York, making it the perfect place to be house the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.
Track and field and distance running are sports that rely heavily upon sponsorship money and donations in order to have everything they need to compete at a high level. Some years come up much shorter than other years in funding and donations, which can cause ripple effects throughout the whole sport. No induction ceremonies occurred in 2004, 2007 and 2009. In 2007, it was due to the search for a new executive director, the 30th running of the Boilermaker Road Race, and construction to the
Stanley Theater stage, which is where the ceremony takes place. In 2009, the
struggling economy caused too few sponsors to donate money for the event.
With the inclusion of
Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz wo ...
and
Priscilla Welch, the membership is not limited to Americans. Both athletes represented other countries internationally (coincidentally both in the
1984 Olympic Marathon, the first Olympic marathon for women), though they had an extensive running history in the United States.
Members
See also
*
RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame
Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...
*
USATF Masters Hall of Fame
The USATF Masters Hall of Fame is the Masters section of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. It is intended to select worthy athletes from the various divisions of Masters athletics involved in the sports of track and field, road running an ...
External links
National Distance Running Hall of Fame2009 inductions cancelled to due struggling economy
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Road running in the United States
Sport of athletics awards
Distance
Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects or points are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two counties over"). ...
Sports halls of fame
Sports museums in New York (state)
Museums in Oneida County, New York
Buildings and structures in Utica, New York
Awards established in 1998
1998 establishments in New York (state)