New York, September 9, 2020 – As teachers and students return to a school year full of uncertainty, Rising New York Road Runners has adapted its resources to ensure physical education can be safely implemented at schools across the country. The new resources are designed to fit the unique needs of teachers who will be returning this fall to in-person instruction, remote teaching, or a hybrid model.

“This school year, educators are faced with continued uncertainty and new instructional challenges, and our goal is to help maintain the critical role physical education plays in the curriculum,” said Jane Benson, vice president of youth programs & marketing at NYRR. “Rising New York Road Runners is built on the partnerships we have with our schools and teachers, and we’re ready to work together this school year to make running and movement safe and fun for kids.”

With feedback from teachers, and with the health and safety of school staff and students in mind, the new resources were built to follow social-distancing guidelines, require no equipment, and have been segmented into three content packs:

• Rising in Class: Physical activities that can be safely facilitated by PE or classroom teachers who are confined to a classroom setting
• Rising with Space: Physical activities that can be safely facilitated by PE teachers with access to indoor or outdoor recreational spaces
• Rising at Home: Physical activities that can be assigned by PE teachers to easily incorporate into a remote learning school day, and/or safely facilitated by parents from home

The new content packs are available on PLAYBuilder, Rising New York Road Runners’ online curriculum builder that offers customizable lesson plans based on specific criteria including time, space, equipment constraints, and participants’ abilities. In addition to PLAYBuilder access, enrolled sites also receive free incentives to motivate their kids, personal assistance from Rising New York Road Runners’ staff, and access to engaging virtual events and challenges.

With NYRR’s in-person youth events and races currently on hold, Rising New York Road Runners Virtual Challenges have been introduced to bring the fun and excitement of race day home. Virtual Challenges feature engaging games, led by world-class athletes, that families, classes, or teams can do together. The Rising New York Road Runners Moves for Black Lives Matter virtual event is currently open for participation.

Following the COVID-19 related school closures last spring, Rising New York Road Runners introduced Active at Home, an online platform for parents looking to continue their kids’ physical development from home. Active at Home provides full PE sessions and individual activity videos led by Olympic and Paralympic athletes, detailed instructions and photos for parents to help their kids with proper form, and an activity tracker. The platform will remain live this school year as Rising New York Road Runners’ parent-focused resource hub.

NYRR has been offering free youth programs for more than 20 years and introduced Rising New York Road Runners in 2017 to meet the rising demand for affordable and accessible school-based fitness programs. Last year, Rising New York Road Runners served 250,000 children at more than 1,300 schools and community centers across the US, representing 43 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Through the introduction of Active at Home on March 31, 2020, Rising New York Road Runners has served more than 30,000 unique households with virtual programming and events.

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.

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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.