Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
MessageReportBlock
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds
 

Folders

Misc News (3213)
 

 

Dr Norbert Sander To Receive Abebe Bikila Award For Outstanding Contributions To Distance Running

Published by
Armory Track News   Oct 23rd 2014, 7:39pm
Comments

October 23, 2014

President and executive director of the Armory Foundation and the 1974 New York City Marathon champion to be honored at the NYRR Youth Jamboree presented by Tata Consultancy Services, Saturday, October 25

New York, October 23, 2014—New York Road Runners will honor Dr. Norbert Sander with the Abebe Bikila Award for his outstanding commitment and contributions to the sport of distance running. Dr. Sander will be presented with the award on Saturday, October 25, at 12:45 p.m. at the NYRR Youth Jamboree presented by Tata Consultancy Services at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory. The event will kick off the TCS New York City Marathon Race Week.

The Abebe Bikila Award, named for the legendary 1960 and 1964 Olympic marathon champion from Ethiopia, has been presented annually by New York Road Runners since 1978 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport of distance running, both on and off the race course. Past recipients include Grete Waitz, Fred Lebow, Bill Rodgers, Allan Steinfeld, Paul Tergat, Germán Silva, and the 2013 recipients, the Rudin Family.

“Norb has been an invaluable catalyst to the success of our sport on not only a national and world-class level, but also right here in his own backyard—New York City,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “His extraordinary vision to enrich the Washington Heights neighborhood with the transformation of the Armory into a world-renowned track and field facility has brought together the greatest athletes in the sport, while inspiring the children of our City to lead active, healthy lifestyles through running. It is only fitting that he be honored in front of our young runners, the future stars of a legacy he helped to establish.”

Running has always been a major part of Dr. Sander’s life. He fell in love with the sport while competing in track and field, and he has fond memories of running at the Armory during his youth. Among his many running achievements, Dr. Sander won the 1974 New York City Marathon; he is still the only male New Yorker ever to have won the race. About a decade later, while he was practicing family medicine in the Bronx, the once-beloved Armory had become a dilapidated, overcrowded homeless shelter. Dr. Sander chose to lead an effort to restore the track and field facility to its original grandeur. Following an intensive 1993 facility rehabilitation, the Armory has become the premier indoor track and field center in America, with a foundation committed to serving youth in New York City’s five boroughs by promoting excellence and fitness through a broad range of athletic, educational, and community programs.

NYRR has had a long-standing partnership with the Armory Foundation and continues to sponsor events year-round at the Armory that serve thousands of students, elite and professional athletes, and runners of all ages and abilities. Through the partnership, NYRR supports Armory activities like the Youth Jamborees presented by Tata Consultancy Services, the City Sports for Kids Track & Field program, and other annual youth events. In 2014, NYRR became the title sponsor of the Millrose Games, the most prestigious indoor track and field event in the United States.  

“To receive this award, named after perhaps the greatest marathoner of all time, is a tremendous honor for me,” said Dr. Sander. “I accept the 2014 Abebe Bikila Award humbly on behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers who have made the dream of the Armory come true here in Washington Heights.”

Nearly 2,000 New York City children will participate in NYRR’s largest youth running event of the school year—the NYRR Youth Jamboree presented by Tata Consultancy Services. The Youth Jamboree is a free track and field event for kids of all abilities in pre-K through high school. On the track, there will be races from 55 to 200 meters, relays, and a special 55-meter dash for pre-K kids. This year also marks the start of the Forever Young Invitational Dash—a 55-meter dash for adults 75 and older that will take place immediately after the pre-K kids' race. The two groups will be on hand to cheer for each other and hand out finisher ribbons.

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. The race will also 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. to 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.

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

HashtagsNone
 

More news

History for Armory Track News
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2024 53 3 2085  
2023 49 9 8941  
2022 102 11 3265  
Show 9 more
HashtagsNone