New York, June 5, 2017— New York Road Runners (NYRR) will celebrate Global Running Day and the Million Kid Run on June 7 with events and activations for people of all ages and abilities across the five boroughs, including a world-record challenge on a treadmill and hourly group runs leaving from the NYRR RUNCENTER, which will serve as the day’s headquarters in New York.

Pledging for Global Running Day and the Million Kid Run remains open on globalrunningday.org through June 7. The Million Kid Run is about making fitness fun and inspiring kids to embrace running as a way to get moving and stay healthy. From a school administrator pledging students, to a youth coach pledging their running team, to a parent pledging their child, kids around the world will come together to celebrate the power and benefits of running and fitness.

Last year, more than 2.5 million people from 177 countries, including nearly 700,000 kids, pledged to run 9.2 million miles on Global Running Day. The day received more than one billion impressions on social media, with running activities taking place across the globe from New Zealand to New York. In 2017, an emotional component has been added to pledging, asking people to share why they are running and taking part in the day.

In celebration of Global Running Day, NYRR will host the following free events and activities on June 7:

NYRR RUNCENTER

The featured event will be NYRR’s Global Running Day Treadmill Challenge at the NYRR RUNCENTER – located at 320 West 57th Street – attempting to set the Guinness World Record for “Most People in a Treadmill Relay.” The world-record mark is set at 250 people, with the event expecting to last around 33 hours. The challenge will begin at 8 a.m. on June 6 and is expected to finish between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 7. Professional athletes, celebrities, media personalities, and range of runners from NYRR’s programs and New York City will make up the 250 participants.

Hourly themed runs will be leaving from the NYRR RUNCENTER throughout the day, with NYRR coaches taking runners on 1.5 to 3 mile loops around Central Park. Themed runs will range from a social media influencer run to an NYRR Team for Kids run to a Mighty Milers Coaches run.

Honoring Meb Keflezighi
This November, NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador and four-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi will run his 26^th and final career marathon at the TCS New York City Marathon. As a tribute to the legendary runner, his winning 2009 New York City Marathon race bib will be hung up on permanent display in the NYRR RUNCENTER on Global Running Day.

Later in the day, he will head to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to take part in batting practice prior to the Yankees-Red Sox game. Just before the game begins, he will lead 26 kids from the newly launched Rising New York Road Runners program through the outfield and across the diamond toward homeplate as a call-out to Global Running Day, and to raise awareness for NYRR’s commitment to getting the next generation healthy and active.

Mighty Milers Fun Run
More than 2,000 public school students from NYRR’s free youth running programs will take part in a celebration of running at the Mighty Milers Fun Run at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island as part of the Million Kid Run. The youth runners from grades 3 to 8 will participate in 800-meter runs, infield fitness games and other recreational activities.

NYRR Open Runs (free walks and runs)
To celebrate Global Running Day, NYRR Open Runs will take place in the five locations listed below starting at 7 p.m. NYRR Open Runs are a community-based, volunteer-led initiative that offer free runs and walks in community parks across New York City’s five boroughs on a weekly basis year-round.

·         Bronx: St. Mary’s Park

·         Brooklyn: Brooklyn Bridge

·         Manhattan: Inwood Hill Park

·         Queens: Astoria Park

·         Staten Island: Silver Lake Park  

NYRR Striders Walk
NYRR’s free weekly walking program in senior centers, parks, and neighborhood facilities throughout the five boroughs will host a walk at Icahn Stadium at 11 a.m., the same location as the Mighty Milers Fun Run.

Hydration Stations

Runners can stop by one of the following hydration station locations between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to take the Global Running Day pledge, grab some fluids, and chat with NYRR staff and fellow runners.

·         Bronx: Van Cortlandt Park (only from 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.)
Next to the Tortoise and Hare Statue

·         Brooklyn: Prospect Park

Grand Army Plaza and East Drive

·         Manhattan: Central Park
Engineers’ Gate (East Drive at 90^th Street)

·         Queens: Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Next to the Unisphere

·         Staten Island: Clove Lakes Park
In front of the parks building

Running organizations and groups, individuals, school administrators, coaches, and parents can visit GlobalRunningDay.org to pledge, explore group runs and other events happening around the world, and find information on running activities for all people of all ages and abilities. The world is welcome to engage with Global Running Day socially by using the #GlobalRunningDay hashtag and creating a customized Global Running Day bib. Global Running Day toolkits for events, communications and social media are also available on the website.

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QUOTES FOR EDITORIAL USE

“We are so excited to celebrate Global Running Day on June 7 in New York as an all-inclusive day to get people of all ages and abilities moving. The day is about making running fun and encouraging people to live active lifestyles, and to inspire kids to embrace running as a way to get healthy and fit. The centerpiece of the day is the Million Kid Run, which aims to have a million kids around the world pledge to run on Global Running Day, including those in New York Road Runners’ free youth running programs.”
-Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners

“NYRR is celebrating Global Running Day by getting New Yorkers across all five boroughs moving. The NYRR RUNCENTER will serve as New York’s Global Running Day headquarters on June 7, where we will attempt to set the Guinness World Record for ‘Most People in a Treadmill Relay.’ We are also looking forward to honoring Meb in his final season as a professional athlete, both with a bib dedication at the NYRR RUNCENTER and later in the day at Yankee Stadium.”
-Peter Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon

 “Global Running Day is the perfect opportunity to inspire kids around the world to get moving and learn about living a healthy and active lifestyle. This year, I’m very excited to be joining New York Road Runners for Global Running Day at the NYRR RUNCENTER for their world-record attempt on the treadmill, and to be honored in my final season as a professional athlete by the NYRR community.”
-Meb Keflezighi, professional athlete and NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador

“I started running when I was nine years old behind a group of joggers. Several months later, I completed an hour of running at that age. Global Running Day reminds me of when I fell in love with the sport. I still love the feeling of starting a season and breaking in new shoes, but more importantly, connecting with amazing people through running on Global Running Day.”
-Beverly Ramos, professional athlete and Puerto Rican record-holder

“Global Running Day is important because it seeks to celebrate and inspire an international community of runners and encourages healthy habits, discipline, teamwork and competition. I’ve been with NYRR as a Youth Ambassador since middle school and am so grateful to them for all their support. I’m so excited for the Treadmill Challenge and can’t wait to meet fellow athletes, partake in some record-breaking and join in on all the festivities of Global Running Day. My grandfather has always said that to be able to run is a gift. Running is so much more than a sport, it's a lifestyle.” 
-Annique Wong, former NYRR Youth Running Ambassador and Expected Final Treadmill Runner 

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. 

About Global Running Day

Global Running Day, held annually on the first Wednesday in June, is a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running. It is a worldwide celebration of the sport, and a way for runners of all ages and abilities to share their passion for running and inspire others to get moving. The Million Kid Run on Global Running Day aims to get young people moving. The goal is to have a million kids around the world pledge to run on June 7, 2017. The Million Kid Run is about making fitness fun, and inspiring kids to embrace running as a way to get healthy and fit. Global Running Day is a collaborative effort of the most prominent running organizations around the world, with many of the top professional runners helping to share their passion for the sport with the global running community.