Grete Waitz, Haile Gebrselassie, Paula Radcliffe, and Meb Keflezighi Lead Galaxy of Stars Supporting the Run for Haiti

Champions to participate in the four-mile virtual run through MapMyFitness.com

More than 8,000 participants registered for the 4-mile run/walk held in Central Park

New York, February 17, 2010— An international galaxy of past and present stars of track and field, long distance running, and the marathon including Grete Waitz of Norway, Bill Rodgers of the United States, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, and American superstars Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Deena Kastor, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Shalane Flanagan have pledged their support for the Run for Haiti, a 4-mile run/walk to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake on Saturday, February 20.

In an effort to expand the scope of the event, the champions, along with runners around the globe, will register to participate in the four-mile virtual run, held in cooperation with NYRR, through MapMyRun.com. The entry fee ($30 per entry) will go directly to New York City’s Haiti Relief Fund.  

The Run for Haiti, to be held at 9:00 a.m. in Central Park, is a joint effort of New York Road Runners, the Mayor’s Office of New York City, and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

Waitz, Rodgers, Radcliffe, and Keflezighi are all past ING New York City Marathon champions; Waitz won a record nine times (1978-80, 1982-86, and 1988), Rodgers won four times (1976-79), Radcliffe won three times in the last six years (2004, 2007-08), and Keflezighi won the 2009 race. Gebrselassie is the marathon world record-holder and has set 25 world records in his illustrious career. Hall, Flanagan, Ritzenhein, and Kastor are all Olympians and American record-holders.

“It’s our honor to have a list of superstar athletes join in our efforts to assist in the Haiti recovery and continue making a positive difference through running,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “The event is quickly becoming running’s ‘We are the World’ effort.”

“With the leaders of our sport participating virtually, we have the entire support of the running community working towards the goal of recovery,” said Wittenberg.

More than 8,000 people have registered for the Central Park race. All entry fees ($40 per entry) will go directly to New York City’s Haiti Relief Fund, which is administered by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Recipients of the Haiti Relief Fund to date have been the American Red Cross, CARE, Doctors without Borders, Partners in Health, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the United Nations World Food Programme. 

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).

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