Sunday will mark the 44th running of the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. The Mile, sponsored by the New York Road Runners, is one of over 60 events NYRR sponsors in the city annually, and is a clear indicator that the granddaddy of them all, the New York City Marathon, is only weeks away. But this isn’t a “blink and you missed it” moment, as there will be a full slate of other races for all kinds of racers, from amateur to expert and in age brackets from junior high schooler to senior citizen. Ted Metellus is the chief event production officer at New York Road Runners. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain what makes this lead-up to Marathon Day event such a memorable and popular occasion.
Metellus described some of the undercard events for host Larry Mendte: “We’ll have youth that will be out there participating in the Back-to-School Mile from as young as two-year-olds to 18-year-olds doing dashes and the mile distance as well; no, the two-year-olds are not running the mile. We’ll have seniors that will be out there, with seniors in their 80’s and 90’s that will be doing the mile distance as well, and a mix between that. There’s going to be professional athletes, Olympic athletes that we’ve seen represent our nation and other nations that will be running in our iconic race. They’ll be starting at our final heats that you’ll be broadcasting at noon, and a bunch of amazing specialty runs as well.”
The Mile is a challenge because the course is one continuous straight line; Metellus offered his strategy to avoid adrenaline kicking in before the final stretch: “When you’re running down this road, you have to be very calculating about when you want to have that kick, and you want to make sure you come in for a very strong finish. So, it makes for a unique experience, particularly for our debut athletes. Those that have come out and run before know when to turn it on, so the trick is to stay close to those athletes as you make your way through.”
You can tune in to 710 WOR on Sunday at noon to hear all the action of the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. Metellus will be with Larry Mendte at the finish line on 60th Street and WOR’s Beat on the Street reporter Natalie Migliore will be at the starting line on 80th Street to bring you all the action.
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