NYRR New York Mini 10K to Host Women’s USATF 10 km Championships on Saturday, June 8

Stephanie Bruce to line up in New York to defend her USATF 10 km title at the world’s original women-only road race                                                                                     

New York, January 17, 2019 – The NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, will serve as this year’s USATF 10 km Championships for women on Saturday, June 8, New York Road Runners announced today. More than 200,000 women have finished the race since it began in 1972, making it one of the most impactful women’s races in running history, and it will be the first time it plays host to a national championship race.

“The Mini is one of road running’s crown jewels, and by adding the USATF 10 km Championships to the mix, the 2019 race will be one for the books,” said Chris Weiller, who heads up professional athletics for NYRR. “New York Road Runners has a proud history of supporting women’s athletics. To host what is sure to be an amazing group of American athletes, led by Stephanie Bruce, is an honor for us and a privilege for New York City.”

Taking part in this year’s USATF 10 km Championships will be Stephanie Bruce, who won her first national title in her decade-long career in 2018 when the USATF 10 km Championships was hosted by the AJC Peachtree Road Race; she also finished seventh at the NYRR New York Mini 10K last year.

“The NYRR New York Mini 10K has a storied tradition and I’ve been racing it since 2009,” Bruce said. “It has long been one of my favorite events as a professional. I was thrilled to hear NYRR received the bid to host the USATF 10 km Championships in 2019. I look forward to lining up against a stellar field, as I look to defend my 10K road title from 2018.”

The 2019 USATF 10 km Championships will offer a $75,000 prize purse – the most-ever for a single gender USATF 10 km Championships – including $20,000 for the first-place finisher and will be streamed live on USATF.TV. The women’s 10 km Championships have taken place every year since 1978 and since 2002 have been a part of the USATF Running Circuit, which features championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners.

The NYRR New York Mini 10K was founded as the world’s original women-only road race in 1972, and was first called the Crazylegs Mini Marathon. The NYRR New York Mini 10K got its 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.

Last year, 8,273 runners raced through Central Park at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, as the event surpassed the 200,000 total finisher mark. Kenya’s Mary Keitany won her third event title in a time of 30:59, the fifth fastest time in the event’s 47-year history, and the United States’ Susannah Scaroni won the event’s first-ever professional wheelchair division title in a world-best time of 22:48. The third annual Rising New York Road Runners race at the NYRR New York Mini 10K kicked off race day, as girls ages 12-18 ran 1.2 miles, starting at the same Columbus Circle location as the 10K and heading north on Central Park West before entering Central Park and finishing at the 72nd Street Transverse. It included a youth wheelchair heat for the first time.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire 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.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.  For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.