FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYRR Institutes New No-Baggage Policy to Ease Congestion
at ING New York City Marathon Finish
No longer transporting baggage from start to finish
Policy instituted to provide higher-quality experience and
to respond to runner feedback
Clothing to be donated to charity
NEW YORK, August 23, 2012-Beginning with this year's ING New York City
Marathon, under a new policy designed to ease finish-line congestion,
runners will no longer check baggage at the start of the race, it was
announced today by New York Road Runners officials. The plan, developed in
close consultation with the City, will provide a significantly better and
safer post-race experience. The policy also takes into account overwhelming
feedback from runners, who asked NYRR to address the crowding after the
finish.
Runners will now exit Central Park much sooner after crossing the finish
line, where in the past they converged in a narrow, crowded area and walked
nearly a mile to retrieve their checked baggage. The streamlined exit plan
is expected to cut up to 30 minutes from the time between when the runners
cross the finish line and when they leave Central Park.
"Our primary objective is to provide runners with the best possible and
safest experience," said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "The
post-race walk-off has been too long and too congested, and was
overwhelmingly the number-one complaint of our runners for years. We worked
in close partnership with the City to develop the best solution that
balances our responsibilities to runners with the impact on the surrounding
neighborhoods."
In order to minimize the inconvenience to runners, NYRR has invested in a
number of enhancements, including:
·The Marathon Finish Line Poncho-a water-repellent, hooded, and
fleece-lined garment to be handed out to every finisher
·Establishing NYRR "Call Home" stations so runners can communicate
with friends and family
·A new and dedicated Family Reunion area near the runner exit
·Increasing the number of wave starts from three to four, reducing
runner density along the course and at the finish line
In a shared commitment to giving back to the local community, NYRR will
enter into a new partnership and initiative with New York/New Jersey
Goodwill Industries and UPS to work with Wearable Collections (our partner
in 2011) to collect the discarded clothing, much of which will be
distributed and sold at Goodwill stores throughout the greater New York
area. The sale of goods in Goodwill retail stores supports the Goodwill
mission-getting people ready for and connected to jobs-and the clothing
collected at the Marathon will contribute to that effort.
More about the new policy and what it means to the race participants can be
found at NYCMarathon.org.
About NYRR
New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate
runners vowed to bring running to the people. Over the past 54 years, NYRR
has grown from a local running club to the world's premier community
running organization. NYRR's mission is to empower everyone, of all ages
and abilities-beginners and competitive athletes, the young and theelderly,
adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren-to improve their health
and well-being through the power of running and fitness.
NYRR's races, community events, instruction and training resources, and
youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the
motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for
life. NYRR's premier event, the famed ING New York City Marathon, attracts
the world's top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising
millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for
the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow,
passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more
than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50
states, and around the world.
Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model
that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible.
To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.
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