New York, June 28, 2016—New York Road Runners’ youth runners in New York City and across the country had a record-breaking year, as more than 215,000 youth nationally, including 115,000 in New York City’s five boroughs, participated in free NYRR youth running programs and events, it was announced today by Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners.

“New York Road Runners is excited to have positively impacted our greatest number of youth runners ever in a school year,” said Capiraso. “For our NYRR Mighty Milers nationwide to have run nearly six million miles is extraordinary. We’re inspired by their passion and commitment, and so proud of all of the efforts of our youth runners in New York City and across the country. We thank all who have supported our youth initiatives during this outstanding school year.”

NYRR Mighty Milers is NYRR’s flagship youth running program, and one of the largest free youth running programs in the U.S. This program provides primarily pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students the opportunity to run during the school day and develop a love for physical fitness. Each Mighty Miler strives to run a total of 26.2-miles or more over the course of a school year, in effect running their own marathon of miles. Nationwide, NYRR Mighty Milers reaches more than 188,000 students in approximately 900 schools and community centers who collectively ran nearly six million miles over the school year, earning more than 121,000 “marathon of miles” medals. More than 87,000 students in NYC logged more than 2.6 million miles. In the fall of 2015, NYRR deepened its commitment to NYC youth by expanding the NYRR Mighty Milers program to more schools, community centers, and after school programs, creating a network that now includes private and parochial schools, as well as after-school sites from all corners of NYC.

NYRR Young Runners is an after-school program where kids learn to run distances up to four miles while training together as a team. More than 3,000 students in more than 100 schools throughout New York City’s five boroughs participated in this distance running program.

“Teaching students how to stay active and healthy enables them to excel in and out of school,” said Lindsey Harr, Executive Director, Office of School Wellness Programs at NYC Department of Education. “Through the New York Road Runners partnership, students can participate in running and walking programs that engage them and help them learn. It’s great to see kids and communities across the city take on the challenge of trying something new as they set personal goals and develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime.”

Additional youth running highlights of the 2015-2016 school year include:

• 165 sites and more than 7,400 kids participated in the NYRR Developmental Track & Field Series presented by Tata Consultancy Services, a partnership with the New York City Department of Education.
• At 2 NYRR Youth Jamborees presented by Tata Consultancy Services, more than 2,400 runners in pre-K through high school participated in a variety of track and field events.
• Nearly 6,500 runners participated in the 9 events comprising the NYRR Youth Running Series.
• More than 3,000 kids participated in 3 Mighty Milers Fun Runs, including more than 650 kids from 27 sites who were a part of the Million Kid Run on Global Running Day at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
• NYRR Mighty Milers and Young Runners received more than 3,800 free pairs of running shoes as part of The NYRR Sneaker Closet
• NYRR awarded $44,225 worth of books to 378 Mighty Milers sites who ran more than 789,000  miles towards new books as part of NYRR’s Miles for Books initiative.

NYRR supports free community programming for people of all ages—from kids to seniors—designed to get them moving toward a healthier lifestyle, including neighborhood runs and walks, high school training programs, and group training sessions. NYRR has a long-standing partnership with the Armory Foundation and sponsors events year-round at the Armory in support of the 100,000 kids it serves annually. Additionally, through the partnership, NYRR supports activities at the Armory like the NYRR Youth Jamborees presented by Tata Consultancy Services, and other annual youth running events.

NYRR Mighty Milers, and a number of NYRR youth and community running programs, events, and resources are supported by NYRR’s Premier Partner, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon, and Official Youth and Community Services Partner.  

Interested parties can learn more about NYRR youth programs by clicking here or by emailing youthprograms.outreach@nyrr.org.

About NYRR 

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit nyrr.org.