Fifth Avenue Mile Brings Star Power to New York City Streets
Five past champions will be racing, and it will be televised nationally.
More than 6,000 runners will be in New York on Sunday for the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile. And once again, the front of the pack will be filled with star power.
Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury, both past champions of the event and world-class 1,500m runners, will be looking to add another victory to their resume. They will be joined on the men’s side by Americans Matt Centrowitz and Bernard Lagat and New Zealand’s Nick Willis. All three have won the event in the past, and have decorated track careers in the 1,500m.
Among the other interesting names racing are:
– 11-year-old Jonah Gorevic, the age-group world record holder in the mile for 10- and 11-year-olds.
– Mike Brannigan, an 18-year-old with autism who’s the Paralympic world record holder in the 1,500m.
– Tiki Barber, the former NFL running back who’s now a media personality.
The 5th Avenue Mile covers 20 blocks of the iconic street bordering the east side of Central Park in Manhattan. It starts near East 80th street and finishes near East 60th street. The course is a slight downhill the first and third quarter-miles, a slight uphill the second quarter mile, and flat the last quarter mile.
The men’s and women’s professional races will be televised live starting at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV.