National Basketball Association and New York Road Runners Team Up for First-ever Relay at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 2
NBA and WNBA personalities to partner with NYRR young runners to raise awareness for health and fitness throughout the five boroughs
Press Release
October 27, 2014
New York — To highlight the importance of physical activity and promote healthy living for kids and families, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is teaming up with New York Road Runners (NYRR) for the first-ever marathon relay. The NBA All-Star Relay at the TCS New York City Marathon, which will take place on November 2 during the 44th running of the race, was jointly announced today by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of NYRR.
“Inspiring young people to enjoy fun, fitness-related activities is a goal shared by the NBA and New York Road Runners,” said Silver. “And hosting NBA All-Star in New York City this season gives us an unprecedented opportunity to partner with Mary and NYRR to bring that message directly to all five boroughs. I look forward to participating in the marathon relay and working with NYRR to promote healthy living for all New Yorkers.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the NBA on our first-ever marathon day relay,” said Wittenberg. “As the centerpiece of NYRR’s efforts is to get people moving, the TCS New York City Marathon inspires people of all ages to Run for Life. With the help of Adam and the NBA family, we now have the opportunity for the race to showcase the importance of physical activity for young people, and the critical role adults play to ensure that kids stay fit.”
The NBA All-Star Relay at the TCS New York City Marathon will feature NBA and WNBA personalities teaming up with students from NYRR’s free, year-round youth running programs. Leading up to NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City this February, the NBA is engaged in a season-long effort to reach a half-million youth throughout New York City’s five boroughs through fun, fitness-related basketball activities. NYRR’s youth running efforts reach 120,000 students with programs, events, and resources throughout New York City public schools and community partners in the five boroughs.
Twenty-four pairs of runners will participate in the 26.2-mile tour of New York City’s five boroughs, beginning at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, continuing through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, up through the island of Manhattan, into the Bronx, and finishing in world-famous Central Park.
Commissioner Silver will run the relay’s first leg, up and over the bridge into Brooklyn, and NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo will serve as the team’s anchor when the relay comes to a close at the iconic Central Park finish line. The full list of NBA All-Star Relay scheduled participants* follows:
- Greg Anthony – NBA TV analyst
- Tiny Archibald – Bronx native and NBA legend
- Mike Breen – NBA on ABC broadcaster and MSG Network Knicks announcer
- Amy Brooks –NBA Executive Vice President, Team Marketing & Business Operations
- Swin Cash – Three-time WNBA champion and Liberty forward
- Jason Collins – Former Nets center
- Darryl Dawkins – Nets legend
- Bob Delaney – NBA Vice President, Referee Operations
- Teresa Edwards – WNBA legend and Atlanta Dream assistant coach
- Allan Houston – Knicks Assistant General Manager
- Albert King – Brooklyn native and Nets legend
- Bernard King – Brooklyn native and Knicks and Nets legend
- Felipe Lopez – NBA Cares Ambassador and former St. John’s University star
- Chris Mullin – Former St. John’s University star and Olympic gold medalist
- Dikembe Mutombo – NBA Global Ambassador and Knicks and Nets legend
- Charles Oakley – Knicks legend
- Sam Perkins – Brooklyn native and NBA legend
- Ruth Riley – Two-time WNBA champion
- Adam Silver – NBA Commissioner
- Katie Smith – Two-time WNBA champion
- Steve Smith – NBA TV analyst
- Tad Smith – Madison Square Garden President and Chief Executive Officer
- Mark Tatum – NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer
- Brett Yormark – Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center CEO
*Participants subject to change
The TCS New York City Marathon will air live in New York on ABC7 and nationally on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. The race will also be available via WatchESPN on computers, tablets, smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One for those who have video subscriptions from affiliated providers. Additionally, the race will be available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes+. Pre- and post-race coverage will be carried on ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network ESPN3 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. EST and from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EST. ESPN3 will also present a view of the finish line from 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The race will be broadcast live in the New York City metropolitan area on WABC-TV from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST. Viewers can also watch race day coverage on 7online or via WatchABC on mobile devices (for participating cable providers). Pre-race features from the start at Fort Wadsworth will be broadcast live at 7:00 a.m. on WABC-TV, 7online.com, and WatchABC. A national compilation show will air from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on local ABC affiliates. International viewers can watch the broadcast from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).
Last year, 50,266 runners crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon, making it the world’s largest marathon ever. Runners from more than 100 countries and each of the 50 states participated.
NBA All-Star
NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 64th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden, will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 13th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 30th year of All-Star coverage. Barclays Center in Brooklyn will host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13, State Farm All-StarSaturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 14, and the NBA Development League All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15. Madison Square Garden will host Friday night’s Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
New York Road Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, an estimated 50,000 runners from around the world tour New York City’s five boroughs. Millions of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six most important marathons that each year determines the world’s top male and top female marathoner. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the Premier Partner of NYRR and is in its inaugural year as title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. To learn more, visit www.tcsnycmarathon.com.
The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners. Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization whose mission is to help and inspire people through running, to Run for Life. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth initiatives, school programs, 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. More than 200,000 students are served locally and nationally through NYRR’s free youth running programs, events, and resources, including more than 120,000 in New York City’s five boroughs. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.