National Running Day to Unite the Country Through Events and Activities from New York to San Diego on Wednesday, June 3
By: USATF Press Release
April 1, 2009
Major U.S. running organizations to host local events as part of national effort to get Americans moving
NEW
YORK - The United States running industry on Wednesday announced an
unprecedented unified effort to launch the inaugural National Running
Day on Wednesday, June 3, to nationally and locally promote running as
a healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. Across the country,
the day will celebrate the benefits of running as part of a healthy and
active lifestyle aimed at combating some of today's most pressing
health issues.
Through a grassroots effort, the foremost road
racing and track and field organizations from major U.S.
cities-including New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta,
Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Little Rock, Denver, Eugene, and San
Diego-in addition to national running organizations USA Track &
Field and Running USA, are encouraging Americans of all ages and
fitness levels to get out and run by hosting a variety of National
Running Day activities, including professional athlete appearances,
free running events, group runs, and clinics.
This unified
effort is aimed at encouraging people to lace up their shoes and invite
a friend to join them in experiencing the simplicity and
cost-effectiveness of running.
"Everyone can run. That's the
message of this day," said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary
Wittenberg. "As an industry, we know first-hand how great running is.
Millions of Americans have discovered that running is an easy way to
feel better, look better, and live better."
Runners can join in
the National Running Day festivities by simply going for a run on June
3, then logging on to the national website and social media resources
at runningday.org
to download an "I'm a Runner/I Ran Today" Facebook button, interact
with other runners, and find complete information. Resources available
on the site will include information on local community events with
running clubs and retailers, course-mapping tools, training tips, and
other running-related information.
"This is a day to
celebrate the most universal of all sports," said USA Track & Field
CEO Doug Logan. "By taking National Running Day into the virtual realm
of social networking, we're doing even more to expand that universe.
You might be running toward a goal, running with a purpose, or even
just running away from your problems. Any reason is a good reason to
run, especially on National Running Day."
About National Running Day
National Running Day is an initiative whereby many of the
major organizations within the United States running industry are
joining forces in an unprecedented, unified effort to nationally and
locally promote running as a healthy, easy, and accessible form of
exercise. The inaugural National Running Day will be on Wednesday, June
3. From New York to San Diego, the day will celebrate the benefits of
running as part of a healthy and active lifestyle aimed at combating
some of today's most pressing health issues. For more information,
visit http://www.runningday.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 #1 high school and
junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult
runners in the United States.