FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Art Hall and Mary Keitany to be Inducted into NYRR Hall of Fame
at NYRR Night of Champions
George Hirsch to receive Legacy Award for 17 years of service
New York, October 20, 2022 - New York Road Runners (NYRR) announced today
that Staten Island's greatest distance runner Art Hall and four-time TCS
New York City Marathon champion Mary Keitany will be inducted into the NYRR
Hall of Fame as the Class of 2022. This year's NYRR Hall of Fame class,
along with the George Hirsch Journalism and Abebe Bikila Award recipients
will be recognized at NYRR's Night of Champions on Friday, November 4
during TCS New York City Marathon race week. Additionally, George Hirsch,
in his final year as the Chair of the NYRR Board of Directors, will be
honored at NYRR's Night of Champions with the Legacy Award for his service
and dedication to the organization over the last 17 years.
NYRR Hall of Fame
The NYRR Hall of Fame, established in 2011, has honored legendary figures
in the sport of road running who have made NYRR and the TCS New York City
Marathon what they are today.
"It is an honor to induct the late Art Hall and the heroic Mary Keitany
into the NYRR Hall of Fame in recognition of the tremendous impact they
have had on our sport," said Kerin Hempel, CEO of New York Road Runners.
"Art was an accomplished runner and a trailblazing leader in our local
running scene who was a catalyst for more inclusivity in distance running.
Mary, with four TCS New York City Marathon titles to her name, is one of
the most highly decorated female distance runners in history who has
continued to serve as a role model for women and mothers everywhere."
Hall was a Harlem native mentored by Ted Corbitt, and he was a constant
presence on the New York area running scene starting in the early 1970s.
Corbitt recruited him to join the New York Pioneer Club, and weeks later he
took second place at the national 25K championships. He then moved to
Staten Island and started racing relentlessly, pushing the boundaries for
Black runners, who at the time were told they could sprint but not prevail
over long distances. Hall finished in the top six at the New York City
Marathon four times in the 1970s and won the 1975 Penn Relays Marathon. He
served on NYRR's Board of Directors, founded Staten Island's North Shore
Track Club, and co-created the Urban Running program, which provided free
running clinics to New York City public schools in the 1980s and eventually
sparked the idea for NYRR's free youth running programs. Hall passed away
in 2011.
"This award would be humbling for my father and humbling for my family,"
said his son, Art Hall IV. "I don't believe that my father raced and
invested in NYC road running for accolades. I believe he truly loves the
sport and desires for everyone regardless of race or color to do their
best. It is an honor for my father to be recognized by New York Road
Runners. All of the previous inductees made tremendous contributions to the
sport. For my father to be recognized among the greats is tremendous."
Keitany won four TCS New York City Marathons, including three consecutively
from 2014 to 2016. Her 3:34 margin of victory in 2016 was the greatest in
the women's race since 1980, and she became the first open division runner
since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row. She was also
runner-up twice at the marathon and a three-time winner of the New York
Mini 10K. Keitany remains the world record-holder in a women-only marathon,
having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01, which was one of
her three London Marathon victories. In Kenya, she helped fund and build a
school and church in her village, and in 2019, she was invited to the
Vatican to meet with the Pope, who blessed her for all of her
accomplishments.
"The TCS New York City Marathon was always a highlight on my racing
calendar, and I am honored to be chosen for the NYRR Hall of Fame," Keitany
said. "I would not be where I am today without the support of New York Road
Runners and all those New Yorkers who lined the streets to cheer me on for
so many years."
George Hirsch Journalism Award
The George Hirsch Journalism Award, established in 2010, recognizes
excellence in the reporting, writing, and broadcasting of the sport of
marathon and distance running. This year's recipient will be Toni Reavis, a
pioneer in the coverage of distance running on radio, television, and in
print who has covered the sport for more than 40 years. From his seminal
Runner's Digest radio show in Boston in the 1970s, to his long stint
hosting ESPN's Road Race of the Month TV series, to his coverage of all of
NYRR's premier events, Reavis has told the stories of running to nearly two
generations of running enthusiasts and has been referred to as "the most
insightful - and funny - talking head in running" by Runner's World.
"Receiving the prestigious George Hirsch Journalism Award represents a high
point in my career," Reavis said. "From my radio and newspaper days working
with Fred Lebow and Allan Steinfeld when running first garnered media
attention, to my many years as a TV analyst when Mary Wittenberg and then
Peter Ciaccia were at the helm, my long association with NYRR has been both
professionally and personally rewarding. This recognition, especially as it
comes in George's name, is an honor I will truly cherish."
Abebe Bikila Award
The Abebe Bikila Award is presented to an individual who has made an
outstanding contribution to the sport of distance running, and it was
previously announced that this year's recipient would be Nina Kuscsik, a
trailblazer for women's running.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR's mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958,
New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world's
premier community running organization. NYRR's commitment to New York
City's five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free
youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring
the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of
thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and
opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR's premier event is the TCS New York City
Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features
a wide population of runners, from the world's top professional athletes to
a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn
more, visit www.nyrr.org.
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