NE Runner dev site
Champions
to participate in the four-mile virtual run through MapMyFitness.com
More
than 8,000 participants registered for the 4-mile run/walk held in Central Park
New
York, February 17, 2010ÛÓ
An international galaxy of past and present stars of track and field, long
distance running, and the marathon including Grete Waitz of Norway, Bill
Rodgers of the United States, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, Paula Radcliffe
of Great Britain, and American superstars Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Deena
Kastor, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Shalane Flanagan have pledged their support for
the Run for Haiti, a 4-mile run/walk to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake
on Saturday, February 20, it was announced today by New York Road Runners
officials.
In an
effort to expand the scope of the event, the champions, along with runners
around the globe, will register to participate in the four-mile virtual run,
held in cooperation with NYRR, through MapMyRun.com. The entry fee ($30 per
entry) will go directly to New York CityÛªs Haiti Relief Fund. More
information on the virtual run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/virtual_event/ny_haiti/index
The Run
for Haiti, to be held at 9:00 a.m. in Central
Park, is a joint effort of New York Road
Runners, the MayorÛªs Office of New York City, and the NYC Department of
Parks & Recreation.
Waitz,
Rodgers, Radcliffe, and Keflezighi are all past ING New York City Marathon
champions; Waitz won a record nine times (1978-80, 1982-86, and 1988), Rodgers
won four times (1976-79), Radcliffe won three times in the last six years
(2004, 2007-08), and Keflezighi won the 2009 race. Gebrselassie is the marathon
world record-holder and has set 25 world records in his illustrious career.
Hall, Flanagan, Ritzenhein, and Kastor are all Olympians and American
record-holders.
ÛÏItÛªs
our honor to have a list of superstar athletes join in our efforts to assist in
the Haiti recovery and continue making a positive difference through
running,Û said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
ÛÏThe event is quickly becoming runningÛªs Û÷We are the
WorldÛª effort.Û
ÛÏWith
the leaders of our sport participating virtually, we have the entire support of
the running community working towards the goal of recovery,Û said
Wittenberg.
More
than 8,000 people have registered for the Central Park race. All entry fees
($40 per entry) will go directly to New York CityÛªs Haiti Relief Fund,
which is administered by the MayorÛªs Fund to Advance New York City and
directed to the following organizations: the American Red Cross, Doctors
Without Borders, Partners in Health, and the United Nations World Food
Programme.
The Run
for Haiti will include pre-race and post-race activities for families,
including free kidsÛª races.
New York
CityÛªs Haiti Relief Fund, administered by the MayorÛªs Fund to
Advance New York City, was established to provide a secure vehicle for
donations to aid the victims of the January 12, 2010, earthquake. The
MayorÛªs Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, serves as an umbrella
not-for-profit organization for the City of New York to aid public programs
with private support. To donate by phone, call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside New
York City); online, go to www.nyc.gov/fund; by mail, make check payable to
MayorÛªs Fund, One Centre Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10007 (note:
Haiti Relief Fund).
New
York Road Runners
New York
Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance
running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community
needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000
runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and
promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100,
assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as
well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country
events. NYRRÛªs home base in New York, and its lifelong identification
with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the
worldÛªs top professional runners. Our youth programs provide running to some 100,000
schoolchildren in New York City, around the country, and in South Africa who
would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities. For more information,
visit www.nyrr.org.
New York City Department of Parks &
Recreation
Parks & Recreation is the steward of more than
29,000 acres of land ÛÒ 14 percent of New York City ÛÒ including more
than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Central Park to community gardens
and GreenStreets. We house five major stadia and operate more than 800 athletic
fields, 1,000 playgrounds, 550 tennis courts, as well as 65 public pools, 48
recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses and 14 miles of
beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look
after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York
CityÛªs principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and
programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events and cultural
festivals.
MayorÛªs Fund to Advance New York
City
The
MayorÛªs Fund to Advance New York City is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization established to promote partnerships between the City and the
private sector. The Fund relies on individuals, foundations, and corporations
to support innovative projects in areas including the arts, parks, education,
and health. The MayorÛªs Fund is devoting 100% of donations to the
Haiti Relief Fund to organizations on the ground in Haiti.
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