San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 13, 2019 – New York Road Runners (NYRR) today launched its free youth fitness program, Rising New York Road Runners, at nine locations across Puerto Rico. To mark the launch, representatives from NYRR were joined by two-time Olympian Beverly Ramos, who will serve as an ambassador for the program, at a special event at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico’s Luis Llorens Torres Public Housing location.

Ramos, who is a professional runner for Team New Balance, helped NYRR distribute free New Balance running shoes to the more than 100 kids in attendance, through the 1 for You 1 for Youth* initiative. As a Rising New York Road Runners Ambassador & Special Advisor to Puerto Rico, Ramos will serve as a mentor to the young participants, a guide and resource to coaches, and an advocate for the critical role running and physical education play in the lives of children.

“It’s so exciting to see New York Road Runners here in San Juan, and all across Puerto Rico, helping encourage our young people to get involved in a sport that has given me so much,” said Ramos. “I’ve been running with New York Road Runners as a professional athlete since 2014, and I’m excited to officially join their team as an ambassador for Rising New York Road Runners. As a Puerto Rican athlete, I get to demonstrate the strength and resilience of my community and cannot wait to share my experience with the children in the program.”

The Rising New York Road Runners program will serve more than 1,000 children at nine locations across the island, joining a network of nearly 250,000 children from across the country, including 125,000 students in New York City’s five boroughs.. Coaches at the nine new sites have been trained by New York Road Runners’ youth programming team, and like all coaches across the U.S., will have access to the Rising New York Road Runners curriculum builder, making it easy and simple to customize lesson plans.

Throughout the year, Ramos, who trains and resides in Puerto Rico, will visit the nine new sites across the island. Each of the sites is a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, an organization dedicated to offering children and youth hope for a better future and providing opportunities for them to develop to their full potential. The organization serves as a crucial partner to NYRR in its efforts to better serve the island’s youth.

“When deciding to expand our Rising New York Road Runners program to Puerto Rico, we felt it was important to partner with strong pillars of the community to best understand the climate and the needs of the local children and communities, and we’ve found strong partners in Beverly Ramos and the Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico,” said Rachel Pratt, senior vice president of youth and community services at NYRR. “Together, we plan to bring a free and structured fitness program to the island to provide an outlet for the local kids to stay healthy and active, and most importantly have fun.”

“At Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, we are committed to develop physical fitness as part of our services to children and young people. These activities promote a balanced health, reduce stress, encourage a positive use of leisure time, improve interpersonal skills and help our members in their learning processes,” said Joan Rivera, Operations and Programs Director at BGCPR.

Additionally, the Rising New York Road Runners of Puerto Rico will have more opportunities to receive free New Balance Running shoes through the 1 for You 1 for Youth shoe donation program. For each pair of shoes purchased at the New Balance Run Hub, New Balance will donate a pair of running shoes to NYRR’s youth programs. In turn, New York Road Runners distributes the running shoes to participants in its free youth running programs.

NYRR is committed to bringing Rising New York Road Runners to Puerto Rico in an effort to support the children, families, and communities in need of assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and is accepting donations to help support these efforts. Please consider supporting this cause: https://webapps.nyrr.org/

NYRR’s youth programs are supported by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the Premier Partner of NYRR and NYRR youth and community programs and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon; New Balance, the Official Athletic Footwear and Apparel Partner of NYRR; and the New Balance Foundation. For more information on Rising New York Road Runners, please visit rising.nyrr.org.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, 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 www.nyrr.org.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico

Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico is a nonprofit organization, and a leader in after-school programs and services for children between the ages of 6 and 18. Now celebrating our 50th anniversary, we offer a safe and creative place where children develop into leaders who achieve their academic, personal and professional goals. Our innovation programs focus on career development and entrepreneurship. We provide the tools needed to be competitive on a global economy and to obtain a worthy job that allows economic security. Last year we served more than 16,000 children, youth and families, and we employ more than 300 professionals in the Island. We have thirteen clubs, located at the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Housing Complex in Río Piedras, Las Margaritas Housing Complex and Luis Lloréns Torres Housing Complex in Santurce, Franklyn D. Roosevelt Housing Complex in Mayagüez, San Lorenzo, Villa Carolina and the Torres de Sabana Housing Complex in Carolina, Arecibo, Aguas Buenas, Bayamón, Loíza, Vieques and Isabela. For more information visit www.facebook.com/bgcpr or call 787-728-4040

*In 2019, for every pair of shoes sold to a customer at the NYRR RUNCENTER, New Balance and NYRR shall donate a pair of shoes to a New York Road Runners supported youth program, up to a maximum cost of $300,000.  For more information about New York Road Runners visit www.nyrr.org.