New York Road Runners Introduces Capped Races for 2009
Registration for first-quarter races to open Monday, December 15

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Posted Monday, 8 December, 2008

NEW YORK - (December 5, 2008) - Most New York Road Runners races held in Central Park will be capped at 5,000 participants beginning in 2009, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. The organization is introducing the change in a continuing effort to enhance the runner experience, and to better share Central Park with other park users.

Some races, such as the NYRR New York Mini 10K and Grete's Great Gallop, will have higher caps; these races will be identified on the online race calendar at NYRR.org. Kids' races will not be capped. The first capped race will be the five-mile NYRR Fred Lebow Classic on Saturday, January 10.

"We have never been about being the biggest, but the best," Wittenberg said. "In light of the continuing growth our races have seen over the past few years, we're simply reaching our capacity in Central Park. The change just makes sense, and we're confident runners will adapt."

Registration for first-quarter 2009 races (January through March) will be available starting Monday, December 15. NYRR will maintain current race pricing through March 31.

In addition to announcing the new race policies, NYRR also released the complete 2009 calendar. The professional race calendar kicks off with the NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up on Tuesday, February 3, and is highlighted by the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1. The NYC Half-Marathon will remain in the summer, on Sunday, August 30. The NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix Presented by Continental Airlines, featuring a race in each of the five boroughs, also returns.

"While we expect Central Races races to sell out, fortunately we have a robust schedule of races throughout the five boroughs that will provide numerous opportunities for all to run," Wittenberg said.

The complete 2009 calendar, in addition to more information on registration policies for the capped races, is available at: www.NYRR.org

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