New York, December 3, 2015—New York Road Runners’ Jingle Bell Jog, a festive four-mile benefit race, and NYRR’s Reindeer Run, a hearty half-mile run for kids, will take place in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Saturday, December 5. Proceeds from the event benefit NYRR's free youth running programs, events, and resources that serve more than 120,000 students in New York City’s five boroughs and more than 200,000 students nationally.

“We look forward to welcoming runners of all ages and abilities from throughout New York City's five boroughs to the 2015 Jingle Bell Jog and Reindeer Run,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “This event is filled with the spirt of the holidays and highlights the importance of encouraging a healthy lifestyle beginning at a young age.  We are thrilled to have the proceeds benefit NYRR’s expansive free youth running programs, which serve 120,000 students in New York City’s five boroughs, including 37,500 kids in Brooklyn.”

Runners in this year's Jingle Bell Jog will receive holiday fleece neck gaiters and jingle bells for their sneakers that will add to the festive atmosphere. Many runners will be spotted dressed like Santa, his elves, or even looking like something you might find wrapped beneath a tree. The crowd-pleasing half-mile Reindeer Run for kids ages 7-12 will showcase youth runners donning antler headbands and jingle bells. Post-race, finishers will gather for hot chocolate and bagels, and exchange tales about their run. In addition to the race and festivities, each entry gives the gift of running and is equivalent to supporting a student in NYRR’s Mighty Milers program for a whole year.

“We are excited to celebrate the holidays with nearly 5,000 adults and 1,000 inspiring kids participating in our annual Jingle Bell Jog and Reindeer Run—NYRR’s signature holiday events,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and the race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “Many of these youth runners are from Brooklyn schools with NYRR Mighty Milers and NYRR Young Runners youth running programs, and we look forward to cheering for all at this festive, family-favorite event in beautiful Prospect Park.”

Martin Marczika, a coach at MS 88 in Park Slope, will bring 19 NYRR Young Runners to participate in the Jingle Bell Jog. “The Young Runners program, unlike many sports, allows all students to participate on their own level,” Marczika says. “I'm happy they are learning good running skills while they are young so they can be better runners as adults.” Suayip Ada, a 12-year-old 7th grader who is in his second year as a Young Runner at MS 88 and plays soccer as well says, “I can outpace everyone because of running.” Suayip mostly runs on weekends and says that "running is a good way to relieve stress."

Many youth runners participating in the Jingle Bell Jog and Reindeer Run are part of NYRR’s two largest youth running programs, NYRR Mighty Milers and NYRR Young Runners. These two programs, and a number of NYRR youth 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.

In the 2014-2015 school year, NYRR served 37,500 children in 169 Brooklyn sites via NYRR Mighty Milers and NYRR Young Runners, the most of any borough in New York City.  Nearly 27,000 Mighty Milers at 116 Brooklyn sites ran nearly 1,000,000 miles.

NYRR Mighty Milers is NYRR's flagship youth running program, and the largest free youth running program 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 youngster 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 157,000 students in approximately 700 schools and community centers who have collectively ran more than five million miles over the 2014-2015 school year.

NYRR Young Runners is an after-school program where older kids learn to run distances up to four miles while training together as a team.  More than 3,300 students in over 100 schools throughout New York City's five boroughs participate in this distance running program.  

Other key NYRR youth running programs include the NYRR Youth Running Series, a three-season program designed for youth with events throughout the school year, including cross country, indoor track, and road running, as well as seasonal Youth Jamborees. Interested parties can learn more about NYRR youth running programs by clicking here or by emailing youthprograms.outreach@nyrr.org.  

Online registration is at capacity for the Jingle Bell Jog and Reindeer Run, but there’s plenty of room to cheer on friends and family in Prospect Park!  For more information about the Jingle Bell Jog and Reindeer Run, please visit the event pages here and here.

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.