NYRR New York Mini 10K to Surpass 200,000 Total Finishers on Saturday, June 9, with Generations of Women and Girls, Past Champions, and Marathon Winners Running Together

Record number to race Rising New York Road Runners youth race, while Boston Marathon champions Des Linden and Tatyana McFadden will lead star-studded professional athlete fields, including first-ever professional wheelchair division

Race to be live streamed on USATF.TV, as Kim Clark returns to run 20 years after her victory.                    

New York, June 7, 2018 – More than 8,000 runners will race through Central Park at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s first road race exclusively for women, on Saturday, June 9. The 47th edition of the race will be historic, featuring the event’s 200,000th finisher, a star-studded professional athlete field that includes a wheelchair division for the first time, and the third annual Rising New York Road Runners race at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, which will draw a record number of youth participants.

“This event paved the way for women’s running 47 years ago as the original women’s only road race, opening new opportunities for runners, and has now grown into an all-inclusive event that features professional runners and wheelchair racers, youth runners and youth wheelchair racers, and thousands of women each year,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the reach of Rising New York Road Runners since its launch last year and spectators will be in for a treat on Saturday, seeing a record number kids participating in our free race to the finish line in Central Park just before the professional athletes take to the streets.”

A record 700 finishers are expected for the third annual Rising New York Road Runners at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a 1.2-mile race for girls ages 12-18, which will kick off race day at 7:25 a.m. The Rising New York Road Runners race, which will include a youth wheelchair heat for the first time, will start at the same Columbus Circle location as the 10K and will head up Central Park West before entering Central Park and finishing at the 72nd Street Transverse. For the first time, all participants of the youth run will receive a free pair of New Balance running shoes donated by Citi. Additionally, as part of Citi’s Global Community Day, Citi volunteers will help support the runners and ensure a smooth, successful start and finish of the race.

The professional athlete field’s open division will be headlined by Boston Marathon winner Des Linden, and two past event champions in three-time TCS New York City Marathon winner Mary Keitany and three-time United Airlines NYC Half winner Molly Huddle. The event will feature a professional wheelchair division for the first time—making the Mini 10K the only all-women’s professional wheelchair race in the world—which will be led by four Paralympians, including five-time New York City Marathon champion Tatyana McFadden and two-time New York City Marathon champion Amanda McGrory.

“The NYRR New York Mini 10K, one of our most treasured events, will be extra special this year with one of the best professional athlete fields ever assembled – including the world’s only all-women’s pro wheelchair field – as we approach the 200,000 total finisher mark,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “As one of our heritage races, the NYRR New York Mini 10K proves to be a family affair year after year, drawing generations of women to run this storied race together and pave the way for those to come.”

The NYRR New York Mini 10K will be streamed live on USATF.TV beginning at 7:40 a.m. ET, with the professional wheelchair division starting at 7:50 a.m. ET and the professional open division starting at 8:00 a.m. ET.

To honor the 20th anniversary of her win in the event, Kim Clark (formerly Griffin) will return to the race to run with her daughters. She won the race in a time of 35:26 on June 6, 1998, the same year the event surpassed the 100,000 total finisher mark.

“I am honored and excited to be invited to participate in this race which historically has done so much to promote women’s running,” Clark said. “For me, running has been a lifelong passion and an endeavor which I call meditation in motion. I’m looking forward to sharing with all the women running, this celebration and commitment to the health of our minds and bodies.”

More than 200 women have finished the event 15 or more times. Named “Crazylegs” runners as a nod to the race’s original name, many of them will be toeing the line once again this year.

The NYRR New York Mini 10K was founded as the world’s original women’s only road race in 1972, and was first called the six-mile Crazylegs Mini Marathon. The NYRR New York Mini 10K got its current name when race founder Fred Lebow convinced the sponsor to support a six-mile “mini” marathon—named for the miniskirt, a big fashion trend of the times. Seventy-two women finished that first race, which helped show that women deserved to run in road races as much as their male counterparts. Three weeks later, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing women the right to participate in school sports and creating new opportunities for female athletes. The International Olympic Committee added the women’s marathon to the Olympic program for the first time at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, a decision sparked by the growth of women’s road racing, which was led by the success of the Mini.

From those who led the way 47 years ago, such as race legends Kathrine Switzer and Nina Kuscsik and the event’s inaugural champion Jacqueline (Marsh) Dixon, to the 199,733 women who have finished the race since 1972, the NYRR New York Mini 10K has served as one of the most impactful women’s races in running history.  

About New York Road Runners (NYRR) 
In 2018, NYRR is celebrating 60 years of helping and inspiring 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.