New York, January 29, 2019 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world’s premier community running organization, today announced the celebration of the 20th anniversary of its free youth running programs. Since 1999, NYRR has offered free youth running and fitness programs and events. Designed to get kids moving and foster a lasting love for physical fitness at a young age, Rising New York Road Runners provides access to the sport of running to children in underserved and high-need communities. To mark this special milestone, NYRR was joined today by Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson and New York Giants legend Tiki Barber to distribute free New Balance running shoes to 100 Rising New York Road Runners, students from Red Hook at the site where it all began in 1999.
 
“New York Road Runners has long stood for providing high-quality running programs that make the sport accessible to people of all ages and abilities, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating 20 years of free youth running,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO at NYRR. “We’re so grateful for the support the running community has provided to our youth-focused initiatives over the last two decades and look forward to continued efforts to demonstrate and promote the benefits that the sport can have at an early age.”
 
Originating as an after-school program at one New York City public school in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYRR’s youth offerings have expanded to the five boroughs and across the nation. Today, primarily through the flagship youth program Rising New York Road Runners, they annually serve 125,000 children across New York City, and a total of 250,000 children ages 2–18 in 48 states and Washington, DC.
 
Today’s celebration was a landmark in itself, as Simpson, a Rising New York Road Runners Ambassador & Special Advisor and Team New Balance athlete, handed out the 20,000th pair of shoes distributed by NYRR to children in need since 2007. Last year alone, more than 7,000 pairs of New Balance running shoes were distributed to Rising New York Road Runners from across the country through 1 for You 1 for Youth, a joint initiative by NYRR and New Balance. In an effort to give all kids access to the footwear they need to get moving, for every pair of shoes sold at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the NB Run Hub, New Balance donates a pair to NYRR’s youth programs.*
 
“New York Road Runners’ youth programs and offerings create access to the necessary tools for our participants to lead healthy and active lives, while engaging in fun and exciting activities with their coaches and teammates,” said Rachel Pratt, senior vice president of youth and community services at NYRR. “Our primary goal is not to create the fastest runners, but to help our participants develop physically, emotionally, and socially.”
 
Beyond our in-school youth programs, NYRR provides a variety of other free offerings for the youth running community. Rising New York Road Runners’ youth events provide a fun experience with age-appropriate activities throughout the year at coinciding adult races, including NYRR marque events the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half, and Popular Brooklyn Half. Many Rising New York Road Runners youth events feature special heats for members of the Rising New York Road Runners Wheelchair Training Program, which offers weekly training sessions for youth with physical disabilities ages 6 to 21. Additionally, NYRR has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships since 2011 with the inception of NYRR Run for the Future, a program that introduces young women to the sport of running.
 
NYRR will continue to honor the anniversary throughout the year with key moments and events, including the 20th running of the TCS Run with Champions at the TCS New York City Marathon, where youth program participants run side by side with professional athletes at the iconic finish line. Next month, the celebration will expand to Puerto Rico as Rising New York Road Runners launches the free program at nine Puerto Rican locations. Special events will also be held on Global Running Day, June 5, 2019, to mark the milestone.
 
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.
 
*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.