New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

running organization based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by

Ted Corbitt Ted Corbitt (January 31, 1919 – December 12, 2007)"Heroes of Running", interview by Gail Kislevitz in ''Runner's World'', December 2007, p. 70. Corbitt confirmed 1919 to the interviewer as his year of birth. was an American long-distance runner ...

with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more than 60,000. As of 2012, it was considered to be the premier running organization in the United States.

History

Following his establishment of the Road Runners Club of America in 1958, Ted Corbitt became the founding president of New York Road Runners later that year. Fred Lebow, co-founder of the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...

, served as president from 1972 to 1994. Under Lebow, other signature races, including the Mini 10K, 5th Avenue Mile, and Midnight Run, were established. Allan Steinfeld succeeded Lebow and was named technical director of the New York City Marathon, which he was credited with modernizing, in 1981. In 2005,

Mary Wittenberg Mary Wittenberg ( Robertson; born July 17, 1962) is an American sports executive who formerly served as President (corporate title), president of professional women's association football, women's soccer club NJ/NY Gotham FC. She was previously ...

succeeded Steinfeld as president and CEO of NYRR. She also became the first female director of the

. Michael Capiraso succeeded Wittenberg in 2015. In 2020 Kerin Hempel succeeded Capiraso, and in 2022 Rob Simmelkjaer succeeded Hempel and is the current CEO of the organization. George Hirsch served as chair of the NYRR Board of Directors from 2004 to 2023 and is now the Board Chair Emeritus. In July 2023, Nnenna Lynch succeeded Hirsch and is the current Chair of the Board of Directors. From 1981 through 2015, NYRR was headquartered on the Upper East Side on East 89th Street (also known as Fred Lebow Place), not far from Central Park. Upon the sale of that building, the organization announced a move to and creation of a Run Center near

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, ...

the following year. Prior to 1981, it was based at the West Side YMCA.

Community

NYRR serves runners of all ages and abilities annually through races, community open runs, walks, training, virtual products, and other running-related programming. The organization's free youth programs and events serve kids in New York City's five boroughs and across the country.

Abebe Bikila Award

The club gives out the annual Abebe Bikila Award in recognition of individuals who have contributed to the sport of

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

. First awarded in 1978 and named in honor of Olympic marathon winner Abebe Bikila, the award is presented in November.

Races

Races are held nearly every weekend and include destination races such as the: *

* NYC Half Marathon *

New York Mini 10K The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is an annual 10-kilometer road running competition for women that takes place in Central Park, New York City, in the United States. The race has been organised by New York Road Runners since 1972. The competition h ...

* Fifth Avenue Mile

References

External links

Official site
{{New York Road Runners, state=expanded Road running in the United States Running clubs in the United States Sports clubs and teams in New York City 1958 establishments in New York City Sports clubs and teams established in 1958