Run, Karla, Run!

Many runners wore Boston sports gear at the Run For the Parks race in Central Park. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Over 6,000 runners took to the roads of New York City’s Central Park on Sunday to run for Boston at the City Parks Foundation Run for the Parks 4-Miler.

The annual event was New York Road Runners’ first race after the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, so the organization, which puts on the ING New York City Marathon, transformed the event into a run for Boston.

Thousands of the runners donned blue “I Run For Boston” shirts, which NYRR provided to participants who gave a $20 donation to The One Fund Boston for families most affected by the attack.

Others wore black ribbons, “I Run For Boston” bibs, Boston Marathon shirts and jackets, and an assortment of Boston fan gear including Red Sox baseball caps, Celtics jerseys and Bruins shirts.

My husband and I were among them, dressed in our “I Run For Boston” shirts, “I Run For Boston” bibs and black ribbons. Read the rest of this entry →

Runners have taken to the streets and to the internet to show their support for everyone affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.

So I wanted to share two ways to run for Boston that I’ll be taking part in—one live event in New York City and one virtual event that anyone, anywhere can join. Both runs will benefit The One Fund Boston, a coalition of corporations and individuals that aims to help the families most affected by the attack.

Run For Boston Anywhere In The World

On Monday, April 22, I’m joining NYCRUNS for Runners For Relief: A Virtual 5K Supporting Boston Marathon Bombing Victims. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2008 Boston Marathon finish line. (Photo: Dave Winer/Flickr: scriptingnews via Creative Commons)

My editor at The Washington Times Communities page asked me to write about yesterday’s bomb attack on the Boston Marathon from the perspective of a runner and reporter who has both run and covered events like it.

I wrote this:

The attack was meant to deafen our resolve, demoralize us, to terrorize us. For what purpose? We don’t know. Who knows why hate marauds the collective streets of the world perpetrating unspeakable evils.

That’s what the streets of Boston symbolized yesterday: the streets of the world. It’s what the streets of every major marathon come to mean on race day. The marathon is a globally unifying event, a universal symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity. It couldn’t be truer now.

You can read the entire column here. As I usually do, I tried to focus on the positive, even in the face of so much desolation.

It was hard to do. The attack on the Boston Marathon yesterday affected me in a profound way.

As news of the attack flooded in, I was instantly reminded of another dark day in America’s history. As a New Yorker, I was in the city on 9/11. Read the rest of this entry →

Cupid’s Undie Run in NYC (Photo: Daniel Pagel/dpstudios.org)

Calling all exhibitionists! Have you always wanted to run in your underwear for a good cause? Well, now’s your chance.

Cupid’s Undie Run is bringing “hilarity to charity” in 17 cities nationwide just in time for Valentine’s Day. The PG-13 underwear run is a national fundraiser for The Children’s Tumor Foundation. Run for fun or run to help raise $1 million to fight Neurofibromatosis.

All you have to do? Strip to your skivvies and run like a kid again—while they’re not looking, of course. Read the rest of this entry →

Fitness Editor-in Chief Betty Wong finishes the 2012 race. (Photo: Steven Meyer/More.com)

Women’s races are more popular than ever with new women-only and women-focused events popping up all over the country. Disney’s Tinker Bell Half Marathon debuted in California 2012 and Nike Women’s Marathon is bringing a half-marathon to Washington, DC for the first time in 2013, both of which sold out months in advance.

Registration recently opened for another women’s race that’s sure to sell out: The 10^th anniversary More Magazine/FITNESS Magazine Women’s Half Marathon in New York City’s Central Park on April 14.

“Every year, women from all over the U.S. and the world flock to this race for a fun, empowering run,” said Fitness Editor-in Chief Betty Wong in a press release. “I look forward to sharing the course with these fit and fierce females and having a blast celebrating our tenth anniversary.”

The race began in 2004 with just over 1,600 runners and grew to over 7,000 in 2012. Last year’s race sold out in three weeks and the 2013 race will be capped, so organizers are encouraging runners to register early. All runners will receive a short-sleeve tech shirt from Athleta, and finishers earn a medal. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon sold out in record time. (Photo: runDisney)

We all knew that Disney races were popular, but this is a new record. The Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare sold out in 26 hours.

It’s the fastest any runDisney race has sold out. In 2012, it took a month for the Disneyland Half Marathon to reach capacity. But in 2013, the new 10K and Dumbo Dare sold out in less than a day, with the half-marathon closing just a few hours later.

The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend from August 30 to September 1, 2013 at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., has now joined events like the Marine Corps Marathon and Boston Marathon, which reach capacity within hours, instead of days or months. Even the 2012 Chicago Marathon took a full six days to fill up.

What gives? Read the rest of this entry →

Drew Carey promotes healthy living through running. (Photo: runDisney)

Celebrities: “They’re just like us,” as Us Weekly’s recurring feature constantly tells us through pictures and silly captions.

“They go camping!”

“They get caught in the rain!”

“They scream for ice cream!”

We can add, “They run marathons!”

Since celebrities are merely people who happen to be famous, it makes sense that some of them would happen to be runners with marathoners among them. Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell, Drew Carey, the list of famous folks who have tackled 26.2 or even 13.1 miles is plentiful and includes actors, singers, models, politicians, chefs, writers and other notable folk.

But it seems that regular runners can’t get enough of celebrity runners. Spotting a celebrity on the street or at a restaurant is enough to thrill many fans for a lifetime. But running with them? It takes celeb spotting to a whole new level. And races increasingly advertise the celebrities they have on their roster to entice and inspire runners.

Take the upcoming 20^th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, which includes a half-marathon on Saturday, January 12 and marathon on Sunday, January 13 near Orlando, Florida. The race’s organizer, runDisney, brought comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey and singer and Dancing With The Stars vet Joey Fatone out to greet fans this morning at the Walt Disney World Marathon Meet Up event for about 100 runDisney Twitter followers. Read the rest of this entry →

The Nike Women’s Marathon is bringing a Half to D.C. on April 28, 2013. (Photo: Nike/Susan Goldman Photography)

The Nike Women’s Marathon now has a little sister. Nike is bringing its signature San Francisco running event to Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 28, 2013 for a 13.1-mile tour of the capitol’s historic streets. The inaugural Nike Women’s Marathon Half DC will host 15,000 runners, to be chosen through a random draw lottery. Registration for the lottery is open through Thursday, December 6 at 6 p.m. ET. Runners may register as individuals or as part of a group. The lottery winners will be notified via email December 10-14. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo: Flying Kites

Are you looking for a 10K in New York City this weekend? Flying Kites is hosting the first annual Dash for Dreams, a 10K run/walk through Central Park on Saturday, December 1 at 9 a.m.

Flying Kites in an international charity that runs a home and leadership academy for orphaned children in the Aberdares Mountains of Kinangop, Kenya. According to Unicef, there were 2.6 million orphans in Kenya as of 2011, representing over 6 percent of the country’s entire population. The Dash for Dreams 10K will raise money for Flying Kites’ scholarship program and allow them to take in more children.

The race begins on the 72^nd St. Terrace Drive and runs one counter-clockwise loop around Central Park finishing back on Terrace Drive. Packet pick-up begins at 7:30 a.m. on race morning. Flying Kites will also be accepting non-perishable food and clothing donations for Hurricane Sandy relief at packet pick-up.

Registration is $40, and goes up to $50 on Friday. Register at Active.com.

One Team Hope For The Warriors runner finishes her marathon.

Scroll down for a slideshow of the unofficial marathon in Central Park.

Some called it the unofficial New York City marathon, some called it the Run Anyway marathon. But no matter what they called it, thousands of runners spontaneously took to Central Park on what would have been Marathon Sunday, November 4 in New York City.

In the wake of the canceled 2012 ING New York City Marathon, many runners tried to make the best of a terrible situation. In addition to running, thousands of marathoners volunteered on Saturday and Sunday in some of the city’s hardest hit areas. An estimated 1,300 alone went to Staten Island on Sunday to drop supplies and help residents clean up. Others helped out in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, the Rockaways in Queens, Newark in New Jersey and parks all over the city.

Thousands of other runners took to Central Park, dropping donations for hurricane relief near the “official” finish line and running a flash mob of sorts. It was like a scene out of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” The Whos of Whoville didn’t need the trappings of Christmas. It seems, neither do marathoners. Read the rest of this entry →

Episode 3 of NYRR On The Run catches up with Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher in Oregon. Now a dynamic training duo, the pair discuss how they went from fierce rivals to great friends. Then it’s on to New York City’s Chinatown to meet a seventh grader who has used running to help her acclimate to a new country and new language. Finally, NBC Olympics’ Joe Battaglia stops by the studio to debate pacers vs. racers and the relative merits of paced races versus championship style events.

Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch past episodes and individual segments.

Runners pose in front of Cinderella Caste. (Photo: runDisney)

Disney lovers, it’s not too late the run the 20^th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon presented by Cigna on Jan. 13. The Marathon, Half Marathon and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge may be sold-out, but there are still a few ways to get in on the action.

A record 58,000 runners have registered for the event, with 27,000 toeing the line in the half marathon and 25,000 in the marathon. A whopping 10,000 participants will tackle both races as part of Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, which dares runners to complete the half-marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday during the Walt Disney Marathon Weekend. 

If you’d like to be one of them, you still can by registering through a group, charity, or the Runner’s World Challenge, which give runners access to training advice from Runner’s World editors along with other VIP amenities. Read the rest of this entry →

Hey New Yorkers! Looking for a 5K to race this weekend? Look no further than Randall’s Island!

The New York Harriers, my very own running team, is putting on 5K this Saturday, June 30 at 8 a.m. This is no ordinary 5K: it’s sponsored by Skechers ‘Go Run’ and features a USATF certified course that begins and ends at Icahn Stadium, a world class facility that hosts IAAF track and field events like the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League.   Read the rest of this entry →

My K-Swiss Kwicky-Blade Light shoes with Laura's name.

Two weeks ago, I announced that I’d be racing in K-Swiss/Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) gear at the Long Island Gold Coast Triathlon and the Philadelphia Marathon on behalf of my cousin Laura who was fighting clear cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

My K-Swiss/SU2C gear finally arrived today—the day after cancer took Laura’s life.

The poignancy is not lost on me. I promptly grabbed my black permanent marker and began etching Laura’s name onto the tongues of my new shoes. This way she’ll be with me every step that I take. I stand up to cancer. I stand up for Laura.

Laura fought for her life, for her husband and for her kids, with everything she had. We raised money to help her. But it wasn’t enough.

We all have to stand up to cancer together. Laura was just one of the 11,100 Americans who will die of cancer this week, one of the 577,190 who will die this year, according to the American Cancer Society. That means one person every minute of every day will succumb to this disease in the U.S. alone. Globally, the World Heath Organization says cancer kills nearly 8 million people per year—and those numbers only continue to rise. Read the rest of this entry →

Laura and I riding horses when we were kids.

My cousin Laura, who has been fighting clear cell sarcoma for over a year now, passed away late last night.

She was in the hospital in California where she was receiving cancer treatments. She had experienced loss of vision due to brain swelling and bleeding last week. Her vision was gradually improving, but the swelling and bleeding returned yesterday. She slipped into a coma last night, and died a few hours later.

I want to thank everyone who supported Laura’s fight against cancer by donating, sharing her story, or sending thoughts and prayers her way. She fought with every ounce of her being, and with the help of Laura’s Warriors, friends, and family, we know that she submitted herself to every treatment possible. Read the rest of this entry →