Runners leaving the starting line at the LIC 5K run in 2019 (Photo by Jeff Walters Photography)
June 16, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
Ready, set, go!
The Long Island City Waterfront 5K run/walk is coming back as an in-person event this year.
The race is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. with hundreds of residents expected to come together to take part. The in-person event was replaced with a virtual run last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We could not be more excited to host this much-anticipated event,” said Rob Basch, president of Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, a local non-profit group that is co-organizing the race with the Woodside-Sunnyside Runners and Run LIC.
“The last 15 months have been challenging but getting our community together for a fun and healthy event will be very uplifting.”
All proceeds from the event will go to the HPPC—which was formed 23 years ago—originally as Friends of Gantry State Park— with the goal to take care of community parks, trees and natural areas.
The event typically brings more than 1,500 runners to the Long Island City waterfront each year, as well as hundreds of kids who participate in children’s dashes along Center Boulevard.
The 5K race, now in its sixth year, will begin on Center Boulevard and Borden Avenue.
Runners will go through the commercial district on Vernon Boulevard all the way over to Queensbridge Park and then loop back to the starting line by passing through Gantry Plaza State Park and along Hunters Point South Park.
LIC 5K Course Map
The fastest three men and women will be presented with medals.
The popular children’s dashes will take place on Center Boulevard immediately after the 5K run is completed. Ribbons will be awarded to all children who take part in the dash.
Sabrina Chin, a leader with Run LIC, said the race is the perfect opportunity for residents to come out and run to show their appreciation for the parks.
“We are incredibly lucky to have such great park[s] in our backyard and are looking forward to the sense of pride, accomplishment, and community in the air at the finish line.”
Registration for this year’s 5K is currently capped at 500 people. However, the cap is likely to be raised over the coming months as the city reopens.
Organizers will implement all active CDC and New York State COVID-19 guidelines for the occasion.
The event will cost $25 for adults and $15 for children for those who register before Aug. 18. Prices will increase after that date.
Registrants will receive a limited-edition race T-shirt and free swag-bag items. Name-customized bibs for children and adults will also be available to those who register online while supplies last.
All participants will receive their results online and there will be photographs and video of them crossing the finish line.
For sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail casey@hunterspointparks.org with “LIC 5K Sponsorship” in the subject line.
To register for the event, click here.
Children’s Dash Photo (2019): Jeff Walters Photography
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