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Organizing a race is more than just planning a fast, fun course—it’s about building an event that embraces all athletes, including those with disabilities. On June 10, 2025, Achilles International teamed up with Running USA to host a webinar titled “Best Practices for Making Your Race More Accessible.” Find key takeaways on the Achilles International website here Panelists Francesco Magisano, Director, NYC Metro, at Achilles International, and Janet Patton, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Achilles International, offered a wealth of actionable insights across every stage of race planning—from registration to post-finish celebrations. 1. Registration Simplify sign-up: Ensure your online process and race forms are compatible with assistive technologies and include accommodations for guide runners. Gather participant info: Provide options to disclose wheelchair use, handcycles, guides, etc., to tailor support. Show representation: Use inclusive images and proper alt text to reflect diverse participants. Facilitate communication: Allow participants to request a guide runner directly and consider offering guides free of charge. Centralize resources: Create a dedicated web page outlining athlete resources and maintain open email contact for accommodation questions. 2. Pre-Race Planning Thoughtful logistics: Include accessibility in corrals, announcements, start times, and volunteer/staff training. Educate volunteers: Teach the difference between racing wheelchairs, handcycles, etc., so support teams and spectators understand and celebrate appropriately. Clear communication: Warn participants and staff about arrival times for wheeled athletes and potential safety issues. Facility readiness: Ensure accessible restrooms and bag drop areas; consider ASL interpreters and sensory calm-down zones. Course insight: Alert athletes and guides beforehand about terrain challenges or layout changes. 3. On-Course Considerations Barrier-free route: Limit curbs, stairs, narrow paths, cobblestones, and sharp turns—adapt or detour where needed. Safety protocols: Enforce speed rules, use warning flags or signage, and assign bike escorts when appropriate. Mechanical aid: Station quick-repair crews for wheelchairs/handcycles; flag low-profile handcycles for better visibility. 4. Post-Race & Celebration Accessible finish area: Design flow patterns that accommodate adaptive equipment and personal assistants. Equitable ceremonies: Structure award ceremonies and recovery zones with wheelchair users in mind. Visible signage: Ensure directional and informational signs serve all athletes. Acknowledgment: Recognize athletes with disabilities in speeches and awards to elevate inclusion. Key takeaways: You don’t have to implement everything at once. Even one simple tweak—like adding an accommodation email or guide request field—can make a meaningful difference. These incremental steps pave the way for a more inclusive race experience. When in doubt, treat athletes with disabilities with the same patience, respect, and care you’d want. At the heart of inclusivity lies empathy—and every thoughtful adjustment enriches the event for all participants.  

We sat down with Keith Hildebrandt, the President and Founder of AED Brands, to explore a powerful new partnership with Running USA. Under Keith’s leadership—having launched AED Brands back in 2004 with a mission to support compliant, life-saving AED programs nationwide—AED Brands now offers Automated External Defibrillator (AED) rentals specifically tailored for running events through a collaboration with Running USA. Keith shares how this rental program empowers race organizers to enhance on-course safety without the burden of permanent AED installations—making cutting-edge defibrillator access flexible, affordable, and reliable. Learn more as he outlines the program's design and how it’s elevating athlete safety at races across the country.  

A high-energy host known for his magnetic presence and deep connection to the running community, Ronnel Blackmon brings years of experience as an emcee, announcer, and race day personality at premier running events across the country. His dynamic style and passion for endurance sports have made him a favorite among athletes and race organizers alike. Get to know the emcee of the 2026 Running USA Industry Conference in this new 5 Questions interview with Jay Holder, Running USA Executive Director..

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (07-Jun) -- Hellen Obiri of Kenya, one of the most decorated women in distance running, who had won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country plus the Boston and New York City Marathons, added one more big victory to her résumé today: the Mastercard New York Mini 10K.  Obiri, 35, who runs for the On Athletics Club in Boulder, Colo., won the world's original road race for women here this morning in Central Park, prevailing in a late-race duel with USA half-marathon record holder Weini Kelati (Under Armour Dark Sky Distance), 30:44 to 30:49.  Obiri covered the up-and-down back half of the race in a blistering 15:09 and won $10,000 in prize money. "First of all, I'm so happy to win this race because the elite (field) was so strong," Obiri told reporters.  "Also, coming after Boston (Marathon) and Manchester (10K) I felt like, let me try to give my best.  For the last two weeks I have been working on my speed." Obiri needed both speed and endurance to win today.  A savvy racer, she stayed tucked in the lead pack of eight which broke away in the second mile.  Amanda Vestri (Brooks/ZAP Endurance), who was the top American at this race last year when she finished fourth, set the early pace.  Vestri covered the first (downhill) mile in 4:57, then the down-and-up second mile at the same tempo.  Vestri and Obiri were joined by Sharon Lokedi (Under Armour) and Grace Nawowuna (Nike) of Kenya, Gotytom Gebreslase (Nike) of Ethiopia, Taylor Roe (Puma Elite Running), and Emma Grace Hurley (Asics). The group of eight stayed together as they climbed up Cat Hill --named after a statue of a mountain lion mounted on a rock outcropping on the side of the course-- and were still together at the 3-mile mark (15:02) and 5K (15:36).  Kelati decided to take the lead in the fourth mile, and after the leaders passed Engineers' Gate at 90th Street on the park's east side, Hurley began to drift off the back (she would finish eighth in 31:42).  Kelati was on the front. "At first the race was kind of slow," Kelati told Race Results Weekly.  She continued: "The race kind of got stronger and stronger, and at some point Hellen came up next to me.  She's a strong runner." Kelati split the fourth mile in 4:55, and that was fast enough to drop Vestri and Nawowuna who finished sixth and seventh in 31:20 and 31:34, respectively.  That left five women --Obiri, Kelati, Gebreslase, Roe and Lokedi-- to battle for the win as the race turned back south in the fifth mile on the park's East Drive. Moments later, Obiri made her big move.  Roe, the American 10K record holder with a 30:56 personal best, immediately reacted along with Kelati. "I mean, like that's the move," Roe told reporters.  "Like, that was going to be the move that broke open the race, and it's either you hopped on the train and you're in it, or if you don't hop on it you're going the wrong direction." Roe did her best to stay in contact with Kelati and Obiri, but the former Oklahoma State star eventually fell back and was passed by Gebreslase, who took third in 30:54 to Roe's 30:58. Up ahead, Kelati and Obiri continued their battle for the win.  With 26:30 showing on the clock, Kelati went in front with Obiri right on her heels.  But moments later, on the course's final downhill, Obiri opened up her stride and surged ahead of Kelati. Kelati pushed herself to match the 2:17:41 marathoner's move. "She's a tough runner, she's like a marathoner," Kelati said of Obiri.  She continued: "I was like, no matter what, I have to follow her.  I know she has a great finish.  I just had to push myself today." But Obiri was too strong for Kelati today.  She held her lead all the way to the finish line on the 72nd Street Transverse right in the middle of the park.  Her time of 30:44 was well off of Senbere Teferi's 2023 course record of 30:12, but very solid given the extremely humid conditions today. "For me it's incredible," said Obiri of her victory.  "And the winning here tells me, like, I have a lot to give out in coming marathon.  You know when you win here, they have an incredible field, really strong women.  So, for me winning here it's a good indication that I'm also strong coming from Boston, and taking it into the next marathon I feel so strong." Interestingly, Kelati earned more prize money than Obiri.  She collected $8000 for second place plus another $5000 as the top American for a total of $13,000.  The 2019 NCAA cross country champion for the University of New Mexico said she hoped to win the Mini before her career wrapped up. "I wish I did today," she said. Susannah Scaroni broke her own course record in the professional wheelchair competition, clocking 20:49.  It was her sixth Mini win, good for $2500 in prize money.  She was worried that it might rain, a big risk factor for wheelchair racers. "I did not expect it," Scaroni told Race Results Weekly of her win today.  "It started to sprinkle on the (starting) line, and I was starting to get nervous.  Then it stayed dry, no wind.  And just like, amazing day." The race had a record 9973 finishers, according to New York Road Runners officials, an event record. PHOTO: Hellen Obiri of Kenya winning the 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K in 30:44 (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

NEW YORK (06-Jun) -- There may not be lights, but there will be cameras and plenty of action. The 53rd edition of the Mastercard New York Mini 10K, scheduled here for Saturday at 8 a.m. in Central Park, is really an extension of this city's famous theater district about one mile to the south.  It's a big production, with stars, a supporting cast, an audience, and thousands of extras. "The sense of joy and camaraderie at the Mini is unlike anything else," said New York Road Runners board chair Nenna Lynch at a press conference today. She's right.  The Mini, along with the TCS New York City Marathon and New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile, is one of New York Road Runners' three signature events with a long history.  The Mini was founded in 1972, just three weeks before the passage of Title IX.  There were no road races for women then and the Mini changed that forever.  Seventy-two women finished the first edition of the race which was won by 17 year-old Jacki Dixon, who covered the then-six-mile course in 37:02. "I was just hanging on the last five miles," said Dixon, who is now the mayor of Loveland, Colo., under her married name of Jacki Marsh. Like women's running, the Mini grew slowly.  It wasn't until 1978 that the race had over 3,000 finishers, and it didn't hit the 5,000 mark until 1985.  L'eggs, a brand of women's hosiery, sponsored the race from 1978 through 1990, then Advil took over from 1991 through 1997.  The current title sponsor, Mastercard, didn't come on board until the 2021 race (the first edition after the COVID pandemic shutdown), and this will be the fifth year that the credit card company will have its name on the race.  New York Road Runners officials expect over 10,000 women to finish the race (there were a record 9,688 finishers last year). Of course, some of the greatest female distance runners have won the Mini, including Norwegians Grete Waitz (five times) and Ingrid Kristiansen (twice).  Kenya's Tegla Loroupe won five times, as did Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat.  Another Kenyan star, Mary Keitany, won the race three times. This year's race features a superstar cast of Olympians and other fast women, like Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon champions Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya; like American Olympians Weini Kelati, Emily Sisson, Emily Infeld, and Dakotah Popehn; and American up-and-comers like Taylor Roe, Emma Grace Hurley and Amanda Vestri.  Each of them would love to become a Mini winner. But the real stars are the nearly quarter million women who have finished the Mini since the race's inception.  Fast and slow, black and white, young and old, these women have come from all places and walks of life to celebrate the joy of running, to have a race they can call their own.  This is just as true now as it was back in 1972. "I absolutely love all-women's races," said women's running pioneer Marilyn Bevans who, at 75 years-old, will run the Mini for the 14th time.  "I absolutely love it." And if you're a man, the Mini has a place for you, too.  Get over the Central Park tomorrow, find a spot along the course, and cheer for these active women.  It's one of the greatest off-Broadway shows you can see, and admission is free. PHOTO: New York Road Runners chief commercial officer Christine Burke (left) with women's running pioneer Marilyn Bevans (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)