Runners Go Green in Washington Heights

If you saw green today while running the NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K, it was not just the souvenir shirt worn by several participants. (It was likely not a leprechaun either; you may have wandered onto the course of our Rising New York Road Runners at the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K - Stage 1 event by mistake.)

New York Road Runners encouraged runners for the first time on the race page for this event encouraging them to bring a reusable bag-check bag, with the stipulation that it be both clear and no larger than 17" wide x 20" high x 7" deep.

Coincidentally, a new law in New York State goes into effect today prohibiting most businesses from distributing single-use plastic bags. While NYRR bag check falls outside the reach of that law (and we will continue to offer runners a clear disposable bag at our bag-check stations for the foreseeable future), we will follow it in spirit by promoting reusable bags for bag check.

Last month, we offered a clear reusable NYRR-branded bag-check bag as a souvenir at the bib pickup for the Fred Lebow Half-Marathon, and asked runners to commit to using them for future races. We saw several of those bags today, along with other compliant bags including clear backpacks and bags from other races around the country.

2 down, 7 to go! #nyrr #washheights5k pic.twitter.com/u08OXqqRMT

— Mehmet, Space Doctor (@mehmsy) March 1, 2020

A course full of urban beauty, from the streets of the Washington Heights neighborhood through Fort Tryon Park, with its vistas of the Hudson River and the Palisades, past the Cloisters Museum and back past bands playing the race's namesake salsa and blues music as well as gospel, merengue, and jazz (and even a little Beatles!), seems an apt place to remind runners to be mindful of their impact on their surroundings.

Four thousand, nine hundred and thirty-seven runners finished the adult race today. Sam Geha of New York won the men’s race in 14:48 and Kate MacCary of New York broke the tape in 17:00 for the women.

The first Rising New York Road Runners races of 2020 were held today as well. In the RNYRR Stage 3 race, Jose Romero, 17, of New York, ran the 1.5K course in 5:13 to win the boys' title, and Lan Huse, 14, of New York, was the first girl across the line in 5:45.

RNYRR Stage 2 runners completed their race before the start of the 5K as well. Stage 1 runners filled Fort Washington Avenue after the adult race wound down.