New York Road Runners ( NYRR ) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more than 60,000. As of 2012, it was considered to be the premier running organization in the United States.
15-576: Following his establishment of the Road Runners Club of America in 1958, Ted Corbitt became the founding president of New York Road Runners later that year. Fred Lebow , co-founder of the New York City Marathon , served as president from 1972 to 1994. Under Lebow, other signature races, including the Mini 10K, 5th Avenue Mile, and Midnight Run, were established. Allan Steinfeld succeeded Lebow and
30-461: A 9-member Board of Directors . Four Directors are responsible for four Regions of the nation. The four Regional Directors in turn select State Representatives to coordinate RRCA efforts in each state. (Some large states such as California and Texas have more than one state representative.) Although individuals can join the RRCA, the RRCA encourages individuals to join a local member running club where one
45-501: A local club in upstate New York, is described in the 25th anniversary report of the Boilermaker Road and Wheelchair Race in the adjoining city of Utica, New York (Racino, 2002). For a list of national officers (1958–present), see footnote: The ultimate policy making power is vested in the member clubs who vote at the annual meeting or special meetings. The voting power of each club is proportional to its size. The membership elects
60-561: A service to its members, the RRCA developed the RRCA National Running Awards to acknowledge the service and commitment of outstanding volunteers to the running community. These awards are selected by an independent committees of evaluators based upon a nationwide solicitation of nominations. Outstanding contributors are recognized at the Annual Awards Banquet in a variety of categories. The National Running Awards include
75-577: Is available. All members of each member running club receive the full benefits of RRCA membership. The RRCA has promoted women's running, including lobbying for a Women Olympic marathon and hosting women-only races. The RRCA has advocated equal prize structures for men and women runners. The RRCA member clubs conduct thousands of races each year and provide training programs for runners in every state. Many RRCA clubs award college scholarships to local runners. The RRCA has awarded 58 $ 5,000 annual Road Scholar stipends to promising post-collegiate athletes. As
90-637: Is the current CEO of the organization. George Hirsch served as chair of the NYRR Board of Directors from 2004 to 2023 and is now the Board Chair Emeritus. In July 2023, Nnenna Lynch succeeded Hirsch and is the current Chair of the Board of Directors. From 1981 through 2015, NYRR was headquartered on the Upper East Side on East 89th Street (also known as Fred Lebow Place), not far from Central Park. Upon
105-490: The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running communities. Road Runners Clubs may also include members who may have diverse abilities, from using asthma inhalers to brain tumors, heart disease, and even Paralympian wheelchair racers. Roman Runners,
120-860: The Ruhmeshalle , built in 1853 in Munich . The Walhalla memorial in Bavaria was conceived in 1807 and built between 1830 and 1842. Inspired by the Ruhmeshalle, the English-language term was popularised in the United States by the Hall of Fame for Great Americans , a sculpture gallery completed in 1900 and officially dedicated in 1901. Located in the Bronx in New York City, it is on the campus of Bronx Community College (until 1973
135-1045: The Male and Female Runners of the Year; the RRCA Hall of Fame Inductee(s); the Outstanding Club President of the Year; the Outstanding Club Volunteer of the Year; the Jerry Little Memorial Journalism awards for the Outstanding Club Newsletter, Club Writer, and Journalist; the Outstanding Youth Program Director Award; the Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA award, the Outstanding Road Race of the Year, and
150-480: The Outstanding Beginning Running Program award. For a list of inductees, see footnote For biographical sketches of each decade's inductees, see footnote The RRCA American Long Distance Running Hall of Fame was established in 1971. Its members "have made significant contributions to the sport of long distance running either through excellence in the sport or significant contributions to
165-453: The country. The club gives out the annual Abebe Bikila Award in recognition of individuals who have contributed to the sport of running . First awarded in 1978 and named in honor of Olympic marathon winner Abebe Bikila , the award is presented in November. Races are held nearly every weekend and include destination races such as the: Road Runners Club of America Founded in 1958,
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#1733085470195180-663: The honorees with sculptures, plaques, and displays of memorabilia and general information regarding the inducted recipients. Sometimes, the honorees' plaques may instead be posted on a wall (hence a "wall of fame") or inscribed on a sidewalk (as in a "walk of fame", "walk of stars", or "avenue of fame"). In other cases, the hall of fame is more figurative and consists of a list of names of noteworthy people and their achievements and contributions. The lists are maintained by an organization or community, and may be national, state, local, or private. The term "hall of fame" first appeared in German with
195-516: The sale of that building, the organization announced a move to and creation of a Run Center near Columbus Circle the following year. Prior to 1981, it was based at the West Side YMCA . NYRR serves runners of all ages and abilities annually through races, community open runs, walks, training, virtual products, and other running-related programming. The organization's free youth programs and events serve kids in New York City's five boroughs and across
210-565: The sport." The first set of inductees was elected in April 1971 at RRCA's 14th annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. For a list of the winners of each award, see footnote Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or museums that enshrine
225-517: Was named technical director of the New York City Marathon, which he was credited with modernizing, in 1981. In 2005, Mary Wittenberg succeeded Steinfeld as president and CEO of NYRR. She also became the first female director of the New York City Marathon . Michael Capiraso succeeded Wittenberg in 2015. In 2020 Kerin Hempel succeeded Capiraso, and in 2022 Rob Simmelkjaer succeeded Hempel and
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