Create your own National Running Day badge at runningday.org.
National Running Day 2013 is Wednesday, June 5! Currently 279 group runs have been planned in more than 130 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It’s a nation wide running party to celebrate running as one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to stay active and fit.
More than 50 million people run in the U.S. Of those, 28 million Americans say they run at least once a week, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association 2011 survey. It’s an increase of more than 7 percent over the last year and 48 percent over the last decade.
So why not get out there and celebrate that you’re one of them? To find a National Running Day 2013 event near you, visit RunningDay.org.
Kim Smith passes the Cyclone roller coaster on her way to victory at the Brooklyn Half. She ran the race as a half marathon training run. (Photo: NYRR)
Sometimes races aren’t about racing. Toeing the line in competition is exhilarating, but sometimes it’s good to use the occasional race as a training run or fun run, especially during half marathon training.
Kim Smith won the 2013 Brooklyn Half on May 18 in a new course record of 1:11:24. But the three-time Olympian from New Zealand who lives and trains in Providence, RI wasn’t even racing. She ran the half-marathon as a tempo-pace training run, as she told me in pre- and post-race interviews for “NYRR On The Run at the Brooklyn Half.”
“I’m going to treat it as a workout,” Smith told me at the race pre-party the day before.
Indeed, Smith’s half-marathon personal best is 1:07:11, a full four-minutes faster than her finish time in Brooklyn.
“It was a pretty relaxed effort,” Smith said after the race. “I didn’t go all out.”
She said she’s training for the track season and will be back in New York City on Saturday, June 8 to race the Oakley New York Mini 10K, a New York Road Runners event that usually attracts a stellar competitive field. The women-only race boasts a $10,000 prize for first place, and past champions include the legendary Grete Waitz, Olympic-medalist Deena Kastor and World Champions Lornah Kiplagat, Edna Kiplagat and Linet Masai.
Kim Smith breaks the tape at the 2013 Brooklyn Half in course record time, though 4 minutes slower than her personal best. (Photo: NYRR)
I found Smith’s decision to run, but not race, really encouraging. Never mind the fact that not racing for her still might mean winning and scoring a course record. What’s important is that she set-out to do the race as a half marathon training run and did just that.
In my mind, there are three types of races for mid-packers like me: personal record attempts, training runs, and fun runs. Pros and elite runners have a fourth type that will likely elude me my entire running career: running for the win or the podium. Though I did once place in the top 10 women at a small local race, out of 65 ladies. While that will likely be my claim to fame for a long time, the other three types of runs will always have a place in my racing repertoire, especially during half marathon training. Read the rest of this entry →
Runners cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the ING New York City marathon. (Photo: Fergal Carr, via Creative Commons)
Time is ticking to apply for the 2013 ING New York City Marathon lottery. Runners have until 11:59 p.m. EST on May 24 to apply for one of the 47,500 spots in the race on Sunday, November 3. Runners who have a guaranteed entry must also claim their spot by May 24.
New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the event and one that I freelance for as host of On The Run, will choose participants from the lottery on May 29 through a random draw.
Last year, more than 140,000 people applied for approximately 47,000 starting spots on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, most of which were already allocated to runners who gained bibs through one of the ING NYC Marathon’s guaranteed entry programs: running for charity partners, international travel partners, meeting a qualifying standard, completing NYRR’s 9+1 program, being denied by the lottery the previous three consecutive years, or running the race more than 15 times. Just 15,000 runners gained entry through the lottery, up from 9,000 people in 2011. Read the rest of this entry →
At the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party (Photo: NYRR_OnTheRun on Instagram)
We’re back! “On The Run,” New York Road Runners’ web show hosted by yours truly, is back for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. But this time we’re making the leap to the big time. We’re going to be on TV! WABC-7 in New York will air “NYRR On The Run at the Brooklyn Half” on Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m.
Then the episode will hit the web so anyone, anywhere can catch all the action from the means streets of Brooklyn.
It’s the biggest Brooklyn Half in the race’s 33 year history. More than 25,000 people have registered for the 13.1-mile race that takes runners from Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park to the boardwalk in Coney Island, making it the second largest half-marathon in the U.S. and top five in the world. The half-hour episode of “On The Run” will bring race highlights, but also a bit of local Brooklyn flavor.
Chatting with a New Balance shoe designer at the Brooklyn Pre-Party. (Photo: NYRR_OnTheRun Instagram)
The race kicked off on Wednesday with a three-day pre-party in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood, sandwiched between the Manhattan Bridge and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
This isn’t your average race expo. Presented by race sponsor New Balance, runners pick up bib and race shirts at the Old Tobacco Warehouse to the beats of a DJ, live bands play on an outdoor stage, food trucks line the walls of the warehouse, and a beer garden serves up Brooklyn brews along with treats from a slew of local eateries. It’s a whole new take on a race expo, and having spent the last two night there I can honestly say this: it’s spectacular. Without contest, it’s the most fun and most creative race expo or pre-party I’ve ever seen. Read the rest of this entry →
The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)
Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first running race back in 2007. Last fall, I chronicled how I went from a person who loathed running to someone who loves it. How much do I love it? Over these last six years, I’ve run 53 running races with number 54, the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon, in one week and numbers 55, 56 and 57 already on the books.
Looking back at six years of racing, it occurred to me that certain races have a special place in my heart. Every runner has that race they look forward to every year, the race they’ve always dreamed of running, the race that moved them in unexpected ways. These are mine.
So without further ado, here are my “Races to Remember,” the running races that left the biggest impressions on me, culled from my six years out there on the road.
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.
It was an amazing day of running in New York City at the 2013 NYC Half on Sunday, March 17. Kenyans Wilson Kipsang and Caroline Rotich ran away with the men’s and women’s titles as 15,000 runners took a 13.1 mile journey through the heart of the city from Central Park, through Times Square and along the Hudson River to the spectacular Wall Street finish near the historic South Street Seaport.
Join me and Olympians Carrie Tollefson and Todd Williams “On The Run” at the NYC Half as we recap the men’s and women’s professional races, catch up with some of the charity runners we profiled earlier in the week and capture the spirit of the day. Read the rest of this entry →
In the second episode of “On The Run” at the NYC Half we chat with New Zealand record holder Kim Smith, who entered the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17 with the fastest time in the field. She finished second at the 21012 NYC Half after leading the whole race until the final 100-meter stretch.
We also hear from Brooklyn runner Bryan Steinhauer, who is tackling his first race ever after a stunning story of triumph. Steinhauer languished in a coma for 3 months after being attacked in a bar by three men, who left him with a fractured skull and serious brain damage. Doctors were afraid Steinhauer might not live, let along walk again. But Steinhauer prevailed, relearned to walk and talk, and eventually, run. He’s running the NYC Half to raise money for Minds Over Matter, a foundation he started to support other young adults with traumatic brain injuries. If his story doesn’t move you, I don’t know what will. Read the rest of this entry →
In the first episode of “On The Run” at the NYC Half, we chat with World Champion, Olympic medalist and American record-holder Bernard Lagat, who’s about to make his half-marathon debut at the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17.
We also hear from local Staten Island runner Michele Gonzalez, who raised nearly $11,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief. Runner’s World editor-in-chief David Willey stops by the studio to talk about the professional men’s race, and Dr. Jordan Metzl talks about marathon runners who helped out in Staten Island on what would have been marathon Sunday. Read the rest of this entry →
With Olympian Carrie Tollefson at the On The Run desk. (Photo: NYRR)
New York Road Runner’s “On The Run” web show is back. The television-quality broadcast about the sport of running puts the spotlight on the NYC Half, which takes off on Sunday, March 17 in New York City.
The show aims to fill the void in running broadcast coverage on a national level, and bring big-ticket races like the NYC Half and ING New York City Marathon into the living rooms of runners all over the world. Read the rest of this entry →
Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi at the 2009 London Marathon (Photo: Julian Mason via Creative Commons License)
New York Road Runners announced yesterday the American field of runners for the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17. Leading the team are Olympic long-distance runners Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman, and Dathan Ritzenhein in the men’s race. They’ll join American record holder and Olympian Bernard Lagat, who NYRR previously announced would be making his half-marathon debut at the NYC Half. Read the rest of this entry →
Bernard Lagat at the 2010 Fifth Avenue Mile. (Photo: Phil Hospod)
New York Road Runners announced today that eight-time American record holder Bernard Lagat, 38, will make his half-marathon debut at the NYC Half on Sunday, March 17 in New York City.
“I’m excited to be running a half-marathon,” said Lagat in a press release. “It’s a big step up in distance, but I think I’ll be well prepared. Of course, there’s a bit of uncertainty, but that makes it exciting; the challenge is what really appeals to me.” 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 10th 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 →
As the East coast braces for Hurricane Sandy, marathon preparations are under way in New York City. The city is expecting storm surge and possible flooding; some areas near the course could be affected. But the storm should be gone by marathon morning on Sunday, Nov. 4, when the streets will be flooded with people.
This week’s episode of NYRR On the Run takes a look back at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon to help getting runners pumped for this year’s event.
But we also explore the state of U.S. distance running. Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Matt Centrowitz, Leo Manzano, Galen Rupp, Jenny Simpson and more pro runners weigh in, along with Sharon Eckstrom of marathonguide.com.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch all past episodes and individual segments.
I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the slowest, but I am a running nerd. A journalist by trade, I love to research, read, learn and cogitate. So stick with me. Like all good nerds, I’ll do the homework and share it. But the running is up to you!
