FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ING New York City Marathon 2010 Selected as Sports Event of the Year
At 4th Annual SportsBusiness Journal Sports Business Awards
World's Greatest Road Race Chosen from Nominees Including 2010 NCAA Final
Four, 2011 NBA All-Star Game, and 2011 Winter X-Games Wednesday Night in
Manhattan
New York, May 19, 2011 – New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the ING New York
City Marathon 2010 took top honors at the Sports Business Awards in New
York on Wednesday night, as NYRR's premier event was named the Sports Event
of the Year. The ING NYC Marathon 2010 was chosen from a stellar list of
nominees including the 2011 NBA All-Star game, the 2010 NCAA Final Four,
and the 2011 Winter X Games.
Presented by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness
Daily, the awards recognize the best events, leagues, teams, agencies, and
individuals from across the sports industry. The prestigious Sports Event
of the Year award, which honors "best-in-class entertainment, improving
market and brand strength, generating new revenue and growth, and
initiating projects that give back to the community," has been given to the
Super Bowl and NHL Winter Classic in past years.
The ING New York City Marathon 2010 broke numerous records, including its
45,000 runners, the $340 million it generated for the City of New York, and
the $30 million it raised for 191 charities ($24.3 million of which went to
organizations based in New York City).
The race garnered more interest and support than ever, aided by the
last-minute entry of rescued Chilean miner Edison Peña, who finished the
race in less than six hours, despite having trained in complete darkness
2,300 feet underground. It also presented the strongest field of
professional athletes yet, including marathon world-record holder Haile
Gebrselassie.
In accepting the award, NYRR President and CEO Mary Wittenberg dedicated
the honor to all NYRR runners, and to the late Grete Waitz, who won the New
York City Marathon a record nine times and who passed away last month at
the age of 57 following a battle with cancer.
"A huge thank-you to our partners – from Mayor Bloomberg's team to our
sponsors and broadcasters who support us in so many ways," said Wittenberg.
"I accept this award on behalf of our entire board, staff, and the
volunteers who work so hard all year long to elevate the Marathon and all
the events and youth programs we run. Finally, we would like to dedicate
this award to all of our runners who inspire us every day by their efforts
and commitment. Our job is to help them fulfill their dreams. And this one
is especially for the one who recently left us and made an indelible mark
on the Marathon and NYRR, the great Grete Waitz."
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