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NYRR, Mayor Michael Bloomberg Support Haiti Recovery Effort with 4-Miler
Option to Participate in a Virtual Run; 100% of Entry Fees Will Go to NYC's Haiti Relief Fund
Note: There are also two local events in the metro-Washington, DC area.The Chevy Chase Running Company will hold a fundraiser 6 mile run on Saturday, February 13 (rescheduled due to snowstorm on original date) at the store (4461 Willard Avenue, one block away from the Friendship Heights Metro).
Potomac River Running will hold the Run for Haiti 5K and Fun Run on Saturday, February 13 at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive) in Reston, VA.
From Running USA
February 4, 2010
New York, NY
New York Road Runners, the Mayor's Office of New York City, and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation have announced the Run for Haiti, a 4-mile run and walk to benefit Haiti relief efforts, to take place on Saturday, February 20, at 9:00 am in Central Park.
In an effort to expand the scope of the event, runners can participate in a four-mile virtual run through MapMyFitness.com in cooperation with NYRR by clicking on www.mapmyrun.com/virtual_event/ny_haiti/index. Register for the virtual event, and run or walk 4 miles between Friday, February 19 and Wednesday, February 24.
100% of the $30 entry fee for the virtual run or $40 for the New York City event will go directly to New York City's Haiti Relief Fund (administered by the Mayor's office). The funds will be directed to the following organizations: the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, and the United Nations World Food Programme.
Entry applications for the Central Park run are on a first-come, first-served basis and are available at www.nyrr.org. This event will be capped at 8,000 participants.
"Over the past few weeks I've spoken with a lot of New Yorkers with family in Haiti, and their stories are simply heartbreaking," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "New York City is doing everything possible to support earthquake relief efforts, including accepting donations to the City's Haiti Relief Fund, which so far has raised over a million dollars. I am grateful to New York Road Runners and the Parks Department for organizing the Run for Haiti where all entry fees will directly go to the Fund."
"The devastating earthquake in Haiti has brought out the best in New Yorkers. Through donations to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, our contributions are providing the emergency relief where it is needed the most," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "As the recovery efforts continue, we need to keep working hard to help, and I applaud New York Road Runners for joining the City of New York in organizing the Run for Haiti. This four-mile run/walk through Central Park is a great form of exercise, and the entire entry fee will be applied directly to the City's Haiti Relief Fund."
"The devastation in Haiti is so tragic that it can be paralyzing to think about it. The idea of the Run for Haiti is to give people the chance to take action by running and walking and to come together in support by donating to the relief efforts," said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "It will be a run to remember in NYC, and thanks to our partner MapMyFitness.com, runners around the world will be able to join virtually in an unprecedented coming-together of the running community to make a difference."
The Run for Haiti will include pre-race and post-race activities for families, including free kids' races.
New York City's Haiti Relief Fund, administered by the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, was established to provide a secure vehicle for donations to aid the victims of the January 12, 2010, earthquake. The Mayor's Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, serves as an umbrella not-for-profit organization for the City of New York to aid public programs with private support. To donate by phone, call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside New York City); online, go to www.nyc.gov/fund; by mail, make check payable to Mayor's Fund, One Centre Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10007 (note: Haiti Relief Fund).