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ING New York City Marathon 2010 Selected as Sports Event of the Year
At 4th Annual SportsBusiness Journal Sports Business Awards
WorldÛªs Greatest Road Race Chosen from Nominees Including 2010 NCAA
Final Four, 2011 NBA All-Star Game, and 2011 Winter X-Games Wednesday
Night in Manhattan
New York, May 19, 2011 ÛÒ New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the ING
New York City Marathon 2010 took top honors at the Sports Business
Awards in New York on Wednesday night, as NYRRÛªs premier event was named
the Sports Event of the Year. The ING NYC Marathon
2010 was chosen from a stellar list of nominees including the 2011 NBA
All-Star game, the 2010 NCAA Final Four, and the 2011 Winter X Games.
Presented by Street & SmithÛªs SportsBusiness Journal and
SportsBusiness Daily, the awards recognize the best events, leagues,
teams, agencies, and individuals from across the sports industry. The
prestigious Sports Event of the Year award, which honors ÛÏbest-in-class
entertainment, improving market and brand strength, generating new
revenue and growth, and initiating projects that give back to the
community,Û has been given to the Super Bowl and NHL Winter Classic in
past years.
The ING New York City Marathon 2010 broke numerous records, including
its 45,000 runners, the $340 million it generated for the City of New
York, and the $30 million it raised for 191 charities ($24.3 million of
which went to organizations based in New York
City).
The race garnered more interest and support than ever, aided by the
last-minute entry of rescued Chilean miner Edison Peña, who finished the
race in less than six hours, despite having trained in complete
darkness 2,300 feet underground. It also presented the
strongest field of professional athletes yet, including marathon
world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie.
In accepting the award, NYRR President and CEO Mary Wittenberg dedicated
the honor to all NYRR runners, and to the late Grete Waitz, who won the
New York City Marathon a record nine times and who passed away last
month at the age of 57 following a battle with
cancer.
ÛÏA huge thank-you to our partners ÛÒ from Mayor Bloomberg’s team to our
sponsors and broadcasters who support us in so many ways,Û said
Wittenberg. ÛÏI accept this award on behalf of our entire board, staff,
and the volunteers who work so hard all year long to
elevate the Marathon and all the events and youth programs we run.
Finally, we would like to dedicate this award to all of our runners who
inspire us every day by their efforts and commitment. Our job is to help
them fulfill their dreams. And this one is especially
for the one who recently left us and made an indelible mark on the
Marathon and NYRR, the great Grete Waitz.Û
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New York Road Runners
Headquartered in New York City, New York Road Runners is dedicated to
advancing the sport of running, enhancing health and fitness for all,
and meeting our communityÛªs needs. Our goal is to use the expertise
acquired in our 53-year history to empower all people
to live fitter, healthier lives through participation in our races,
community events, instruction and training resources, and youth
programs. Our races and other events draw more than 300,000 people each
year. The ING New York City Marathon, NYRRÛªs premier
event, is the largest and most inclusive marathon in the world,
attracting the worldÛªs top professional runners every year and raising
$30.8 million for charity in 2010. NYRRÛªs running-based youth programs,
which currently serve more than 100,000 children
in hundreds of schools and community centers, promote childrenÛªs health
and fitness, character development, and personal achievement in
underserved communities. For more information, visit
www.nyrr.org.
The ING New York City Marathon
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City
Marathon is one of the worldÛªs great road races, drawing some 140,000
applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes,
not only for the $800,000 in prize money, but also
for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two
million cheering spectators and a worldwide broadcast reach of 330
million. As any one of the more than 875,000 past participants will
attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is
one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit
www.ingnycmarathon.org.
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