Making Space for All
New York Road Runners was founded as an inclusive running organization welcoming all races, genders, and abilities.
June is a special month for celebrating the diversity and inclusivity of our running community as we stage three iconic races: the
Mastercard New York Mini 10K, the
Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run® 4M, and the
Achilles Hope & Possibility® 4M Presented by TD Bank.
Learn more about how these races and other inclusive events, programs, and initiatives make space for all.
Mastercard New York Mini 10K and Women’s Running
The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is the world’s original women-only road race, founded by NYRR in 1972 and named for the miniskirt, a symbol of women’s liberation. Three weeks after the first Mini, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing girls and women the right to participate in school sports and creating opportunities for generations of female athletes.
For 53 years, the Mini has empowered women of all ages and fitness levels to come together, be active, and follow in the footsteps of legends. Throughout New York Road Runners' history, our races, events, and programs have welcomed and elevated women and girls.
- Learn about women in the NYRR Hall of Fame and other NYRR leaders including our current Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors
- Meet the members of NYRR Contributors Circle, a community we introduced in 2022 with the intent to elevate the voices and stories of historically underrepresented members, notably women, BIPOC, and gender non-conforming runners
- Read about our 2025 celebration of Women's History Month
- Read about our partnership with Game Changers, a national organization that helps educate and elevate women coaches of color
Achilles Hope & Possibility 4M and Athletes with Disabilities
Since 1983, Achilles International has empowered youth, adults, and veterans with disabilities to engage in adaptive running and endurance sports. Achilles International founder Dick Traum was the first known amputee runner to complete a marathon, which he did at the 1976 New York City Marathon, covering the course in 7 hours and 24 minutes. Dick was inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Achilles Hope & Possibility® 4M Presented by TD Bank serves as a precursor to July's Disability Pride Month and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
At this race and all year round, New York Road Runners celebrates our advocacy and support of athletes with disabilities and our longtime partnership with Achilles International.
Our race pages include reasonable accommodation language, and we offer reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities and a dedicated email to request an accommodation.
We’re committed to ensuring our programs, events, activities, and services are accessible to all, in accordance with New York City, New York State, and U.S. federal law. Our
Accessibility Statement declares and outlines our commitments to inclusive programming and environments.
We've instituted several new initiatives in recent years, including providing assisted listening system (ALS) technology and automatic door opening at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, implementing a meetings and events checklist for NYRR staff, and leading staff learning opportunities on various types of disabilities, the rights of people with disabilities, the barriers faced, and common misconceptions. Learn more about these and other initiatives
here.
Other initiatives include:
- Braille on race bibs and medals at the 2023 Achilles Hope & Possibility® 4M Presented by TD Bank
- NYRR Accessibility Advocacy Group, comprised of internal and external stakeholders, including individuals with disabilities, with a mandate to assess, review, and develop best practices to enhance universal design in NYRR programmatic offerings, then to provide those findings and recommendations to NYRR senior leadership for review and consideration
- A Sensory Space pioneered at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon start village and extended to other races in 2025, a quiet space for neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive individuals but open to all, with soothing sounds and low light
Coming up, NYRR plans to:
- Continue to work with the volunteer team to address reasonable accommodation requests from volunteers
- Work with human resources to create a more accessible application process for prospective applicants
- Explore continuous enhancement of programmatic access throughout NYRR
Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run and LGBTQ+ Running
The first Pride Run, held in Central Park in 1982, was a landmark race and marked the start of an enduring collaboration among Front Runners New York, New York Road Runners, and the City of New York. The race continues to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride and the ongoing movement toward equity, diversity, and inclusiveness.
History of Front Runners New York and the Pride Run
Founded in 1979, Front Runners New York (FRNY) was named for Patricia Nell Warren's novel The Front Runner, published in 1974. Through the 1980s and into the 90s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic greatly affected the organization's members.
The Pride Run continued to take place annually on the last Saturday in June. The 2019 event broke the Guinness World Record for largest pride charity run with more than 10,200 finishers!
Nonbinary Equity and Inclusion
As part of our DES mission, New York Road Runners launched the Nonbinary Equity and Inclusion (NBEI) initiative in June 2021. The NBEI initiative provides runners of all gender identities with the ability to run in a safe, competitive, and friendly environment that is equitable, accessible, inclusive, fair, and free of discrimination.
The NBEI framework was designed to make NYRR events more gender-expansive to better meet the needs of our gender-diverse running community. NYRR participants now have the option to choose either “Man,” Woman,” or “Nonbinary” on their NYRR profile. Additionally, a Nonbinary category has been implemented in the majority of NYRR programs and community events extending from the youth level all the way up to the elite field.
Learn more about the NBEI initiative here.
"Everybody's Welcome" Video
In 2021, Front Runners New York and New Balance produced a video of the 40-year history of the Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run® 4M, its celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, and the ongoing movement toward equality, diversity, and inclusiveness.