Kenya’s Linet Masai pulled of an impressive win Saturday morning at New York Road Runner’s Women’s Only Mini 10k, with a time of 30:48. The race is steeped in history and tradition. Run for the first time in 1972, the Mini 10k is named for the miniskirt, which was a symbol of renegade women’s fashion, at the time. The initial rendition of the race had less than 100 participants. Saturday’s iteration had over 5000 ladies participating.

Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe, both visibly pregnant, came out to Saturday’s race to show their support for women runners. Paula ran the course, although she was not competing. Kara was not feeling up to the run, though she greeted the runners from the podium at the start line and held the finish line ribbon.

More photos of the event can be seen on the run-nyc.com album page.

In addition to the Linet, the field of Saturday’s elite runners included several Olympic athletes. According to NYRR:

When Linet Masai of Kenya crossed the finish line in Central Park to win the 2010 NYRR New York Mini 10K, she became one of the few runners to have mastered all three of her sport’s disciplines. Already a world champion at 10,000 meters on the track and a two-time silver medalist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Masai has now added a victory in the world’s original all-women’s road race. And she has done it all by the age of 20.
Just past the race’s halfway point, in the tough Harlem Hills section, Masai broke away from the strongest field ever assembled in this race’s 39-year history. The pack behind her included four-time Mini 10K champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands, 36, who had led early; Kenya’s Emily Chebet, 24, who had defeated Masai by one second to win this year’s World Cross race in Poland; 2010 Boston Marathon champion Teyba Erkesso, 27, of Ethiopia; and Werknesh Kidane, 28, also of Ethiopia, a former World Cross champion and a World Championships silver medalist on the track.

Congratulations to all of the participants of the 2010 New York Mini 10k, and to NYRR for organizing such a great event. Full results available on the NYRR event result page.

[Photos: Jacob Breinholt]

(Photo: NYRR)

New York Road Runners, is presenting the perfect opportunity for fitness conscious “global citizens” to lend a helping hand. Saturday morning, February 20th, NYRR is organizing a 4 mile walk/run to benefit the earthquake ravaged country of Haiti. The walk/run starts at 9:00 AM. In addition to the 4 mile race, a kids race will take place at 10:30. According to the NYRR:

All entry fees collected by NYRR will go to New York City’s Haiti Relief Fund, administered by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which is directing 100% of donations to reputable organizations providing relief in Haiti.

Online registration for the event is currently open, until 11:59 PM EST, on Wednesday night (February 17), after which participants will only be able to register on the morning of the event, in Central Park. Online registration may be done through the NYRR event page.

As an additional bonus for NYRR members trying to gain entry for the 2011 New York City Marathon, NYRR has announced that it will award double “9+1″ credit for this race. That means that the run for Haiti will actually count as two races toward the nine required for guaranteed entry to next year’s marathon. For additional details, including course map, please see the New York Road Runners’ event page.

Saturday, October 24, 2009 will be the second installment of what Nike is billing as:

the world’s largest one-day global running event. Nike-hosted Human Race events will be held in more than 24 cities globally, from Buenos Aires to Rome. U.S. races will be held in NYC’s Prospect Park, at the University of South California (USC) and at Ohio State University (OSU)

The great part about this race, is that it will take place anywhere that any of its participants happen to find themselves at any particular time on Saturday the 24th. Nike is, however, organizing group events in some of the larger cities. The group run for New York City area residents will be held in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

The course is two laps around the park. The course map can be found here. In addition to the group run, Nike will be putting on events in the park, basically all day long, including a post-run show by Matt and Kim.

For those planning on running in Prospect Park on Saturday, race packets can be picked up at NIKETOWN New York, 6 East 57th Street, between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue on Thursday, October 22th from 1:00PM to 7:00PM and Friday, October 23th from 11:30AM to 4:30PM. Packet pick-up will also be available on race day at the Nike+ Human Race in Prospect Park. Pick-up will close 30 minutes prior to the start of the race.

The group run in Prospect Park will begin at 8 AM. Here for more details.

The NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix continues this weekend, in the Boro of Queens. The 2009 Queens Half-Marathon will take place on Sunday morning, September 20th. The race starts and finished in Herman A. MacNeil Park, at College Point. The course makes a loop through Queens, while winding through College Point and Whitestone. Click here for the official Course Map.

The start time will be at the bright and early hour of 7:00 AM. Race day registration will be available starting at 5:45, near the starting line. Registration on line can be done through the NYRR website.

This race will be an excellent opportunity for runners who are training for a fall marathon, to get in some distance training in a race setting. Stay current on NYC’s fall race schedule with the RUN-NYC event calendar.

[Queensboro Bridge (photo: Raj)]

It was fantastic weather for running, Saturday morning. The overnight rain kept things cool, and the clouds were still blocking the sun. These conditions made the 2009 NYRR, Fitness Magazine Fitness® Mind, Body, Spirit Games, 4 mile race, even more enjoyable.

The race was a NYRR club points race, and were divided up by gender. The mens’ race started at 9:00 AM, and the women’s at 10 AM. Both heats were had very exciting finishes that came right down to the final stretch.

Before the women’s race, Kara Goucher happened to be out for a run in the park, and Mary Wittenberg of NYRR, noticed her passing by. Goucher was a good sport about giving an impromptu address to the women runners, who were already all lined up in the starting chute.

The winner for the men, was Bado Worku Merdessa, with a scorching time of 19:08. For the Women, it was Aziza Aliyu, beating out Katrina Janosikova by less than a full step. Aliyu scored a 22:22, time.

In total, there were nearly 5000 finishers. As always, NYRR and Fitness Magazine put on a great event. Congratulations to all of the finishers. Full results can be found here.

Click here for the photo gallery.

Sunday, August 6, 2009, join together with fellow New Yorkers, in the spirit of celebration of the lives of those lost on September 11, 2001. This event will offer a great opportunity for all people who were affected by the events of 9-11 to come together to remember each victim, while running, or walking, around beautiful Governors Island, in the heart of New York Harbor. The even is called “World Trade Center Run to Remember.”

The event will host a 5k Run, and a 3k family run/walk. Online registration for the 5k and the 3k is available online. If the weather continues the way that it has been, Sunday should be an incredible day for running, especially on an island located in the middle of the harbor.

Don’t forget to check the events calendar, for all upcoming races in the month of September.

Join the New York Road Runners, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Health Committee, the Daily News, Fox-5, and WBLS-FM this weekend in St. Nicholas park for a family fitness event. The 5k will kick of at 8:30 AM, followed by the 2 mile walk at 9:30 AM. As of today, online registration for the event is still open.

The course for the 5k is as follows: Head north along Edgecombe Ave. At 141st Street, bear right onto Bradhurst Ave. Turn left (West) at 145th Street. Turn right (North) back onto Edgecombe Ave. At 155th Street, take sharp left (south) onto St. Nicholas Place. Turn right (west) on 150th Street. Turn left (south) onto Convent Ave. Turn left (east) onto St. Nicholas Terrace. Proceed straight (south) along top of St. Nicholas Park. Turn left (east) on 127th Street. Turn left (north) on St. Nicholas Ave. Proceed straight (north) on St. Nicholas Ave, alongside St. Nicholas Park. Here is a link to the NYRR Course Map.

This is a great opportunity for those participating in the 9+1 program to run a race that does not take place in Central Park. View all upcoming races on the Run-NYC Event Calendar.

Monday August 17, 2009 Elite middle distance athlete Lauren Fleshman led NYC runners in a training run over the Brooklyn Bridge to launch the 2009 Nike+ Human Race registration. More than 20 Nike-hosted runs will take place around the world on October 24, “the day the world runs.” Sign up for Nike+ Human Race at nikeplus.com

This year’s Nike Plus “Human Race” will be taking place on October 24th in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Although, the cool part is, that it doesn’t have to be in Brooklyn, at all. This race can be run by anyone, anywhere. On-line Registration is now open. Follow this link to register.

This race is a unique opportunity for New York City runners, who use the Nike Plus program, to compete against other runners on every continent of the world. For more information, click through here, to the event’s website.

Next Monday, get down to the beach for a 5 mile race in the evening. This race is a great opportunity to get out of the city’s heat and humidity, for a breezy run at the beach. The race will be held at Zach’s Bay, Parking Field #5. Registration is $20, and is open until Monday morning at 9:00 AM. Go here to register on line.