2019 Team Photo taken at the Team Championships

Racing 5 miles in Central Park in late July doesn’t sound like the most fun thing you could do on a Sunday morning, but the NYRR Team Championships 5M can easily become your favorite race of the year. This race traditionally was open only to members of NYRR-recognized running teams. While the race is now open to everyone, it still holds a special place for running team members.

In addition to being an opportunity for teams competing in NYRR’s Club Points competition to score double the amount of points, this race is rich in comradery among different teams and is full of team spirit. Traditionally, there were separate start times with a men’s wave and a women’s wave. The men’s and women’s starts would alternate annually. While the women ran, the men would cheer and while the men ran the women would cheer. To create greater equity and accessibility, this year there will be only one start for the race. This undoubtedly will affect the number of people who will be cheering on the runners, but it will not be the end of the fun of Team Championships.

There will be people there solely to cheer – people who make the trip to the race with no intention of running, but come to cheer on the runners and to spend the morning with their teammates. The Training and Competing Committee is planning on having snacks available at the race. And this year, a PPTC branded key chain bottle opener will be available for members who attend the race – this key chain bottle opener will only be available at Team Championships. You’re probably thinking, “why should I wake up to get out to Central Park so early on a Sunday morning for a key chain and some snacks?” Because it’s so much more than that.

PPTC key chain bottle opener available only at this year’s Team Championships

At Team Championships, you get to spend the morning with the team. You will walk away with a glow of team spirit whether you run or cheer. This is also when we will be taking a team photo that you will see in our socials and everywhere. So, if you’re not already signed-up, sign up to run Team Championships – the race is near capacity, so don’t delay!

If you’re not running the race, you should still plan to come out to Team Championships. This is the opportunity to shout your loudest for your team members and ring a cowbell as vigorously as you can.

NYRR featured PPTC on the race page for this year’s Team Championships

Text by: Linda S. Chan (she/her)
Produced by: Linda S. Chan

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.

Team Championships: What is it and why should you run it