A Decade of Helping and Inspiring People Through Running: 2010-2019 at NYRR
Over the last 10 years, New York Road Runners has gained a new office, a new RUNCENTER, a new president and CEO and, on two occasions, a new TCS New York City Marathon race director. We started new races, moved around some old favorites, and grew the marathon, the NYC Half and the Brooklyn Half into premier national and international events. NYRR's youth programs expanded in their second decade, offering free running programs to more students across the country and in Puerto Rico. Virtual training and group training became cornerstones of our community programs along with the Open Run program. We developed a series of virtual races. It has been quite a decade, and we hope you are on board for 2020.
2010
February: NYRR raised nearly $500,000 at the Run for Haiti 4M following the devastating earthquake.
March: The United Airlines NYC Half was held in March after three years as a summer race. The idea was to make it a major early-spring half marathon and a tune-up for spring marathons.
November: The first mobile app for the New York City Marathon launches. In its first year, spectators could track up to five runners on the app and follow bloggers; for a fee, live video feeds were available. Today, the app allows unlimited runner tracking and contains interactive maps, a leaderboard, bios of professional athletes and augmented reality features—and it is completely free!
2011
February: The Run for the Future program, pictured above, begins. Girls entering their senior year of high school who have little or no experience with organized sports train for and run a 5K. They receive $2,000 college scholarships at the conclusion of the program.
NYRR introduces its Virtual Training program, which gives runners access to customizable training plans designed by NYRR coaches.
November: In 2011 Geoffrey Mutai shatters the New York City Marathon event record by running 2:05:06 (his record still stands).
2012
January: NYRR inks a deal with ABC/ESPN for a year-round national and local television package. In 2013, the marathon was televised nationally for the first time in nearly 20 years.
November: The New York City Marathon is canceled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Many runners band together and assist with recovery efforts in hard-hit areas, including on Staten Island, where the marathon begins. NYRR and its partners donate funds and supplies.
2013
April: NYRR donates $146,000 to The One Fund Boston in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. The fund assists victims and families and, in partnership with the NYPD, provides enhanced security at events.
May: The Brooklyn Half, pictured above, has a record field of 20,000 runners.
October: In conjunction with the Staten Island Half, NYRR puts on Staten Island Day and raises $100,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
2014
January: NYRR launches the Five-Borough Series, featuring what are now the United Airlines NYC Half, Popular Brooklyn Half, NYRR Queens 10K, New Balance Bronx 10 Mile, and NYRR Staten Island Half. In 2018, the Five-Borough Series expands to include a new race, the NYRR Manhattan 7 Mile.
May: The Brooklyn Half becomes the largest half-marathon in the United States with 25,642 finishers.
November: The New York City Marathon gets a new title sponsor in Tata Consultancy Services. The TCS New York City Marathon celebrates its one millionth finisher, pictured above with then-president and CEO of NYRR, Mary Wittenburg.
2015
March: Molly Huddle wins the women’s open division of the United Airlines NYC Half, the first American to do so.
June: NYRR Open Run, a community-based initiative aimed at bringing free weekly runs to local neighborhood parks in NYC, launches; six parks, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, pictured above, are included the first year.
November: The first NYRR Youth Invitational takes place. Six hundred children run 1.8 miles, crossing the TCS New York City Marathon finish line at the end. The event is televised live on WABC-TV, Channel 7.
Mary Wittenberg steps down as president and CEO of NYRR and TCS New York City Marathon race director, after 17 years. Michael Capiraso is promoted from COO to NYRR president and CEO, and Peter Ciaccia is promoted from CPO to NYRR president of events and TCS New York City Marathon race director.
December: NYRR announces a new year-round alliance with New Balance. New Balance becomes the official athletic footwear and apparel partner of NYRR, providing all race shirts and other race swag.
2016
January: All NYRR youth events are made free of charge for all entrants.
NYRR Group Training, which offers workouts in city parks led by NYRR coaches, debuts.
November: The TCS New York City Marathon is once again the largest marathon in the world, with 51,394 finishers.
December: NYRR opens the NYRR RUNCENTER Featuring the NB Run Hub, pictured above, a community running center that also serves as the headquarters of the 1 for You 1 for Youth program. For each pair of shoes purchased at the NB Run Hub, New Balance will donate a pair of shoes to NYRR's youth programs. New York Road Runners will give the shoes to a participant in the programs.
The NYRR RUNCENTER also becomes the spot for runners to pick up their bibs for most NYRR races.
2017
January: NYRR renames its youth programming, launching Rising New York Road Runners. The new program and event platform focuses on physical literacy and long-term athlete development. Olympian Jenny Simpson becomes the program's ambassador and special advisor. In the inaugural year, 267,000 youth across the country were served by Rising New York Road Runners.
NYRR launches the Rising New York Road Runners Wheelchair Training Program, a free, year-round program for youth ages 6–21 with physical disabilities.
May: The Brooklyn Half is once again the largest half-marathon in the United States with 27,440 finishers.
November: Shalane Flanagan, pictured above, wins the women’s open division of the TCS New York City Marathon in 2:26:53, the first American woman to do so since 1977.
Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and the 2009 New York City Marathon champion, runs his final career marathon in New York. He finishes 11th in 2:15:29.
NYRR and The Trust for Public Land partner. In the first year, three New York City playgrounds are remade as as state-of-the-art green play spaces serving youth and communities.
2018
January: NYRR launches NYRR Virtual Racing Powered by Strava. The program expands NYRR's reach to more runners both nationally and internationally.
March: The United Airlines NYC Half moves to a two-borough course, beginning in Brooklyn and crossing the Manhattan Bridge to finish in Central Park.
June: The third-annual Rising New York Road Runners race at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a 1.2-mile event for girls ages 12-18, includes a youth wheelchair heat for the first time.
November: Peter Ciaccia retires. Jim Heim is named race director of the TCS New York City Marathon.
2019
January: The 1 for You 1 for Youth program, pictured above at a shoe donation event in conjunction with the Popular Brooklyn Half, donates its 20,000th pair of shoes.
Rising New York Road Runners celebrates 20 years of free youth running. The program expands to include Puerto Rico.
June: The USATF Women’s 10K Championship is held at the NYRR New York Mini 10K. Sara Hall wins the women's open division in 32:27. This is Hall’s first national title in the distance and her third overall national title.
October: Volvo becomes a title sponsor of NYRR’s Virtual Running Powered by Strava program.
November: Shalane Flanagan moves from the TCS New York City Marathon race course to the broadcast booth, offering color commentary for the live broadcast on ABC.
The 2019 TCS New York City Marathon was the first to feature runners who gained entry by running the TCS New York City Marathon - Virtual 26.2M the year prior. The virtual marathon expanded in 2019 to include four tiers of entry, including one free tier.
For more hits of 2019, see our year-end roundup here.
And if you want to start off the next decade on the right foot, register here for the NYRR Midnight Run, or here for the NYRR Virtual Resolution Run 5K. (Or do both simultaneously!)