*This press release is intended for the enjoyment and competitive nature of all Media Mile participants at the 2017 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile and should be judged accordingly.

New York, September 7, 2017 — More than 80 runners from over 30 media outlets across New York City are expected to lace up for the Media Mile at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday, September 10, a race that which will stretch 20 blocks down Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 80th Street to Grand Army Plaza at 60th Street.

Now in its seventh year, the Media Mile will include a range of reporters, editors, videographers, social media influencers, and production staff from print, online and broadcast media outlets. Members of the media who participate in the race will receive a pair of New Balance running shoes, and post-race, runners are invited to the VIP hospitality tent at the finish line.

New this year, awards will be presented in the following Media Miler categories (men and women):

• Fastest Local News Media Miler
• Fastest National News Media Miler
• Fastest Running/Sports Media Miler
• Fastest Consumer Media Miler
• Fastest Entertainment Media Miler
• Most Inspirational Media Miler

The day begins at 8:00 a.m. ET and is expected to draw 6,000 runners across 23 total heats – from youth and seniors to New Balance and FDNY/NYPD heats – with the Media Mile set to begin at 11:30 a.m. and the professional athlete races rounding out the day. In partnership with New York Road Runners and USA Track & Field, NBC Sports Group will broadcast the 2017 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile professional athlete races and a roundup of other races on NBC at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Chris Chavez of Sports Illustrated was the runner-up in the Media Mile at last year’s event, finishing second in 5:43, and will be returning in search of his first Media Mile title. He’ll use the race as part of his training for this year’s BMW Berlin Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

“It's an honor to be the top returning finisher for the New Balance 5th Avenue Media Mile, and I fully hope to rise to the occasion against what is believed to be the deepest media mile field in history,” Chavez said. “Personally, winning the Media Mile would be bigger than winning the TCS New York City Marathon … at least I like to tell myself that because there's fewer people to beat. I grew up in these streets so a win for me is a win for New York City.”

Cathal Dennehy of Runner’s World and the IAAF, is coming into the Media Mile fresh off a major victory at the 800-meter Media Heat at the IAAF World Championships in London last month. He crossed the line in 1:54 and is expected to challenge Chavez for the Fastest Media Miler title.

Amy Freeze of WABC-7 will make her fifth appearance in the Media Mile, having finished under seven minutes in three of her previous four appearances. She was the 11^th-place women’s finisher last year, and this will be her first race as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador. 

Dario Melendez of NY1 Sports will make his Media Mile debut after having already participated in five NYRR races this year, including the United Airlines NYC Half and Brooklyn Half. He’s hoping to run all races in the NYRR Five-Borough Series this year, as well as the TCS New York City Marathon.

Additional notables competing in the Media Mile include: CBS Sports Radio’s Tiki Barber and MLB Network’s Sam Ryan, both of whom will be racing this year’s TCS New York City Marathon and are NYRR Team for Kids Ambassadors, as well as NBC Sports’ Peter Diamond, who is the Executive Vice President of Programming for the network.

The 37^th running of the world’s most iconic road race will be aired live on NBC at 1:30 p.m. ET and streamed via authentication on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App, as well as with a subscription to NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass,” which live streams to desktops, tablets, mobile, and connected devices. Content will be presented as part of the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA partnership among NBCUniversal, the IOC, and the USOC. The broadcast will feature live coverage of the men’s and women’s professional athlete races, in addition to a recap of the rest of the day’s heats.

New for 2017 is the official New Balance 5^th Avenue Mile ‘Borough Battle’ as well as the footwear and apparel collection. The ‘Borough Battle’ will bring together teams of 20 runners from each of New York City’s five boroughs in a race to prove which borough is the fastest. The footwear and apparel collection will be available at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, as well as on-site on race day.

New Balance is the Of­ficial Athletic Footwear and Apparel Partner of New York Road Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon. The partnership ranges from event sponsorship, youth programming, and philanthropy to global licensing, e-commerce, retail rights, and the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub. The year-round NYRR Foundation Partnership touches all NYRR events and programs, including New Balance branded events and programs such as the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance, New Balance Bronx 10 Mile and the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.

New Balance 5^th Avenue Mile – Media Mile – Men’s Field

New Balance 5^th Avenue Mile – Media Mile – Women’s Field