A retail sales director, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano oversees daily operations for four branches of a New Jersey running company. In her free time, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano enjoys running and training as a member of the New York Road Runners. The largest non-profit running organization in the United States, the New York Road Runners (NYRR) aims to improve both individual lives and communities through running.
The global pandemic has greatly reduced and all but eliminated in-person racing, and has greatly hampered the efforts of NYRR over the last twelve months, with the cancellation of major races, training groups, and youth programs that help underserved communities. Now with the roll out of vaccinations and increased testing, NYRR is hopeful that they can start expanding their race offerings during 2021.
They are launching a One Mile Series, which consists of a one mile race in each of the boroughs, with the inaugural race happening on March 7, 2021 in Washington Heights. They are taking COVID precautions, including mailing bibs to runners instead of having everyone go in person to pick them up. According to NYRR's emails that went out to participants, "[r]ace numbers (bibs) will be mailed to all participants before race day. If you do not receive your bib before race day, or if you registered after Wednesday, February 10, there will be a representative on-site who can issue you a replacement bib on race morning. Please plan to arrive at the start area at Margaret Corbin Plaza located at Cabrini Boulevard and Fort Washington Avenue 20 minutes prior to your assigned start time."
Just like with most other organizations lately, you also have to complete COVID questionnaires prior to showing up on race day. Again, according to NYRR, "[a]ll race participants will receive a COVID-19 questionnaire via email within 24 hours of the start of the event. Once the participants have completed the questionnaire, they will receive an email with their bib number and race status depending upon the answers they submitted. All runners must show the email to the medical professional on race day and will receive further questioning if necessary."
There are several other in-person races listed on the nyrr.org website through June, including races in Prospect Park, in Brooklyn, along with one in Jersey City on this side of the Hudson River. There are also tons of other smaller pop up races that are happening across the tri-state area, and there is a lot more hope that this year will be the beginning of the end of the pandemic, and is a hope for a brighter future.
