New York, April 11, 2017 – New York Road Runners (NYRR) today announced its plans to expand NYRR Open Run to three new parks in New York City over the next two months, bringing the total number of parks to 13. NYRR Open Run, a community-based initiative that brings free weekly runs and walks to local neighborhood parks in New York City, will be introducing weekly events to Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park on April 13, Brooklyn’s Highland Park on May 6, and the Bronx’s Soundview Park in early June.

“NYRR Open Run truly fulfills New York Road Runners’ mission to help and inspire people through running,” said Michael Schnall, vice president of community engagement initiatives for New York Road Runners. “Since the program’s inception nearly two years ago, we have seen community members at all ability levels come together for the common goals of leading active lives, becoming invested in their local parks, and developing new social networks in their neighborhoods, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this initiative to three new deserving communities. NYRR Open Run is a program for all New Yorkers, especially those who are underserved, and is an NYRR flagship community initiative.”

Since the program’s launch on June 1, 2015 at the Bronx’s St. Mary’s Park, NYRR Open Run has seen over 16,000 finishers and 2,000 community volunteers. Participants come from New York’s five boroughs and the greater New York City area, and range in age from five to 85.

Parks selected as NYRR Open Run sites are led by community volunteers and are chosen based on several criteria, most importantly the demand for programming by local community members. Park-goers interested in bringing the community-based free running program to their local parks are able to petition NYRR and NYC Parks to prove communal interest in the program, a process that helped bring NYRR Open Run to Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park and Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Other criteria brought into site considerations are park size and infrastructure, and perceived need as measured in conjunction with standards defined by the NYC Parks Community Parks Initiative.

The Community Parks Initiative is an investment in New York City neighborhoods to help parks with the greatest needs thrive as a community hub for active and healthy living. Through this initiative, NYC Parks works directly with city residents to redesign and reconstruct parks through capital projects. Beyond physical alterations, the initiative aims to enhance public programming at sites to maintain the parks’ appeal following a redesign. Parks in dense and growing neighborhoods that have not recently received substantial capital investments are the target sites for the Community Parks Initiative and NYRR.

“As a lifelong runner myself, I know how rewarding running can be – especially when your path takes you through beautiful parks like NYRR Open Run’s newest sites in Flushing Meadows Corona, Highland, and Soundview,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP.  “I’m thrilled that NYRR’s addition of these three new sites to Open Run will bring the health and mental benefits of running to thousands more New Yorkers.”

In an effort to enhance NYRR Open Run’s reach, NYRR is inviting participants of other community programs to take part in multi-generational runs and walks.

The NYRR Open Run at Inwood Hill Park on Saturday, April 22 will include local participants in NYRR Striders, a program designed to make running and walking more accessible to older adults, and NYRR Mighty Milers, a free national running program for kids of all fitness levels from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

About New York Road Runners (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.