Road Runners Race to benefit Haiti

Cause

Thousands of participants are expected to “Run for Haiti” in Central Park on Feb. 20.

The fundraising event to benefit victims in the earthquake-ravaged country is being co-hosted by the New York Road Runners, the Mayor’s Office and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

The four-mile horseshoe-shaped course will start and end between East 70th Street and 72nd Street in the park, said NYRR Chief Executive Mary Wittenberg. The race’s registration fee is $40 per person, and the NYRR hopes to raise $400,000 from the event. It will begin at 9 a.m.

Children will also be able to run in their own race, and Haitian-themed entertainers and vendors will donate their services to the event.

“It’s a day of celebration, as well,” Ms. Wittenberg said. “We are celebrating the culture and spirit of the Haitian people.”

In addition, there will be a virtual race, in which participants can donate $30 to run or walk four miles on their own, and record their times on the NYRR Web site. The NYRR has contacted partner running organizations from other states, and expects many of those runners to come from outside New York.

All proceeds from the event will go to New York City’s Haiti Relief Fund, administered by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The Mayor’s fund has already sent more than $1.2 million to the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Program to benefit Haiti.

NYCRains