New York Road Runners to Host World-Class Professional Athlete Field with 10,000 Runners for 53rd Mastercard New York Mini 10K Saturday, June 7

World’s original women-only race to feature Olympians and World Championships medalists, including former TCS New York City Marathon winners Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri, World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase, and U.S. Olympians Kim Conley, Emily Infeld, Weini Kelati, Dakotah Popehn, and Emily Sisson

Professional wheelchair division returns, headlined by Paralympic medalist and defending TCS New York City Marathon champion Susannah Scaroni racing for sixth consecutive event title

More than 1,000 youth to participate in accompanying Girls Run, one of 20+ annual Rising New York Road Runners youth events encouraging kids to get physically active

All-women commentary team on WABC-TV, ESPN+, abc7ny.com, and New York Road Runners’ YouTube channel

New York, May 28, 2025 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon, has announced a star-studded professional athlete field that includes 17 Olympians and Paralympians, and multiple national record-holders representing 12 countries for the 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K, taking place Saturday, June 7, in Central Park.

Empowering women of all ages and fitness levels to come together, be active, and follow in the footsteps of legends, the 53rd running of the event will be headlined by two former TCS New York City Marathon open division champions: Kenyans Sharon Lokedi—the newly minted 2025 Boston Marathon champion and course record-holder, 2022 TCS New York City Marathon winner, and 2024 Mastercard New York Mini 10K runner-up—and Hellen Obiri—the 2025 Boston Marathon runner-up, 2023 TCS New York City Marathon winner, and bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon.

“New York City has been a special place for me ever since I won the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in my debut,” says Lokedi. “I’m excited to be back competing in Central Park after winning my first United Airlines NYC Half in March and the Boston Marathon to continue the momentum as I take on my third Mastercard New York Mini 10K.”

Also returning to the Mastercard New York Mini 10K are two members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon team—American marathon record holder Emily Sisson and the top American finisher at the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon Dakotah Popehn.

“I always look forward to the Mastercard New York Mini 10K, and I’m excited to race it for the fourth year in a row,” says Sisson. “It’s a special chance to reconnect with my Olympic teammates, compete with some of the top women athletes, and run alongside 10,000 inspiring women brought together by a shared love of the sport.”

The deep American field is rounded out by Olympian Weini Kelati, who broke her own American half marathon record in January with a time of 1:06:09, Susanna Sullivan, a full-time teacher who was the top American at the 2025 TCS London Marathon and the 10th-fastest American woman marathoner in history, and young stars Taylor Roe, a two-time national champion who recently broke the women-only 10-mile world record in 49:53, and Amanda Vestri, last year’s top American at the Mastercard New York Mini 10K .

Additional international stars include two-time World Championships medalist Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia; Yuka Ando of Japan, who won her first career marathon at the 2024 Nagoya Women’s Marathon; Argentinian Olympian Florencia Borelli, who holds multiple Argentinian and South American records; Mexican Olympian, Pan-American gold medalist and multiple record-holder Laura Galván; and British Olympian Rose Harvey.

Returning to headline the professional wheelchair division is Susannah Scaroni—a four-time Paralympian, six-time Paralympic medalist, defending TCS New York City Marathon champion, and 2025 Boston Marathon champion. Scaroni broke her own event record in the wheelchair division the last time she competed in 2023 and has won all five editions of the professional wheelchair division since it was added to the Mini 10K in 2018.

“I’m thrilled to return to the Mastercard New York Mini 10K and defend my title for the sixth time,” Scaroni says. “It’s always such an empowering race that brings together world-class athletes, women of all ages, and girls representing the future of the sport participating in the Girls Run.”

Scaroni will face off against Tatyana McFadden—the most-decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic and Paralympic history, and five-time TCS New York City Marathon champion—in the Mastercard New York Mini 10K for the fourth time.

New York Road Runners started the Mini 10K in 1972 as the first women-only road race, known then as the Crazylegs Mini Marathon for the miniskirt, a symbol of women’s liberation. Seventy-two women finished the first race, and three weeks later, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing girls and women the right to participate in school sports and creating new opportunities for generations of female athletes.

Since the first edition, the race has garnered nearly 250,000 total finishers, with 10,000 runners expected for this year’s race, alongside 1,000 youth in the accompanying Rising New York Road Runners’ Girls Run.

Notable and Inspiring Runners

In addition to the professional athlete field, the 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K will feature several notable runners with inspirational stories, including:

Marilyn Bevans: An inductee in the National Black Marathoners Association’s Distance Runner Hall of Fame, Marilyn is the first Black American woman to win a marathon (1975 George Washington Marathon) and finish a marathon in under three hours (coming in fourth place at the 1975 Boston Marathon). At 75 years old, this will be Marilyn’s 14th time running the Mini 10K.

Julianne Grace: A CrazyLeg—a distinction given to participants who have run the Mini 10K 15 or more times—Julianne is running her 49th Mini 10K, having only missed one Mini 10K since she first ran the race in 1975. She continues to return because the race celebrates female empowerment and solidarity. Now in her late 80s, Julianne runs the Mastercard New York Mini 10K because it bolsters her sense of self and proves that she can still be strong and athletic.

More than 40 NYRR Run for the Future Alumnae: Launched in 2011, New York Road Runners’ Run for the Future is a free six-week program that introduces young women in high school to running, culminating in participants running their first 5K together and creating connections that last beyond the program. A testament to the program’s impact, more than 40 Run for the Future alumnae will participate in the 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K, including:

Kia Copeland: A Run for the Future alumna from the first 2011 class, running changed Kia’s life. An NYPD officer, Kia is running her third Mastercard New York Mini 10K, which she is dedicating to her young daughters who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. She is now introducing her daughters to running as an outlet to express themselves, build strength, let go of frustrations, gain confidence, and overcome challenges.

Michele Perez: Jersey City-based Global Running Crew member who has run nearly 70 New York Road Runners races over the past decade. Running has transformed her life, and she’s passing along her love of running to her daughters Liliana and Madison, who will be participating in their third Girls Run while she runs her seventh Mastercard New York Mini 10K.

Girls Run

In addition to the adult 10K, 1,000 kids ages eight to 18 will participate in free races as part of the Girls Run, one of more than 20 free Rising New York Road Runners youth events the nonprofit hosts during the year. The youth event will take place at the start of the adult race on Central Park West, with kids running alongside the professional and adult participants for a fun and rewarding experience that encourages them to be physically active and builds their confidence to cross any finish line. Participants will include members of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s free running-based youth program that serves 200,000 students nationwide, with 100,000 students in New York City.

How to Watch

The event will be covered locally in the Tri-State area by WABC-TV with live news cut-ins from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The professional race will be covered by a livestream distributed domestically by ESPN+ and abc7ny.com, and internationally from NYRR’s YouTube channel beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET. Reporting live from the event will be an all-women team of WABC Sports Anchor Sam Ryan and reporter Nina Pineda, U.S. Olympians Carrie Tollefson and Alysia Montaño, and host of the “Ali on the Run Show” podcast Ali Feller.

NYRR App

New York Road Runners launched a new year-round app earlier this year to enhance the race-day experience. Participants, spectators, and supporters can now use one app—the NYRR App Developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)—for all New York Road Runners events, including the Mastercard New York Mini 10K. For the first time, the app will feature live, uninterrupted feeds of the Mastercard New York Mini 10K professional athlete fields, while keeping users conveniently connected with runner tracking and leaderboards, race-day information and alerts, and course maps. The NYRR App is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K Professional Open Division 

2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K Professional Wheelchair Division

The 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K will offer $45,000 in total prize money. Mastercard will serve as title sponsor of the event for the fifth year, and, as part of its ongoing partnership with New York Road Runners, will also serve as the presenting sponsor of professional women’s athlete field.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR) 

A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving nearly a half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 50,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.