Emerald Nuts Midnight Run Lets Thousands Ring In a Happy, Healthy New Year

Emerald Nuts Midnight Run Lets Thousands Ring In a Happy, Healthy New Year
Donahue, Davila, Curtis, Lehmkuhle set to race through Central Park under the fireworks at midnight




NEW YORK - (December 22, 2010) - With 2010 coming to a close, New York Road Runners is preparing to start the new year off with a bang at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park at midnight on December 31, when professional athletes will toe the line with thousands of New Yorkers looking to start off the year on the right foot, it was announced by NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.




The Midnight Run, a Central Park tradition since 1978, offers runners and spectators a fun and healthy way to celebrate the New Year, just blocks north of the crowds in Times Square. The run promises to be one of the most distinctive, cost-effective parties in all of Manhattan.




"The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run is one of the best traditions on the New York Road Runners calendar," said Wittenberg. "It is a great time to see some of our sports' top athletes line up with the great runners from our city and ring in a healthy new year!"

"For the seventh straight year, we are proud to sponsor the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, and we look forward to another successful event," said Craig Tokusato, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Diamond Foods, Inc. "Kicking off the New Year with Emerald Nuts is a perfect way to start the year in a fun, active and healthy way."

The festivities begin at 10:00pm with a dance party and costume contest, followed by a costume parade at 11:00pm. At midnight, the runners will take off on a four-mile loop through Central Park while the night is lit up by a 17-minute fireworks show. In lieu of water at mile two, runners will have the option of toasting the new year with a glass of non-alcoholic champagne.




In addition to the great activities that are planned throughout the night, a strong professional athlete field will race for a prize purse of $2000, including $500 apiece to the male and female winners. Defending champion and Olympian Erin Donahue will be up against Desiree Davila, the fastest female U.S. marathoner of 2010. In the men's field, Bobby Curtis and Jason Lehmkuhle will make their Emerald Nuts Midnight Run debuts.




Donahue, 27, of Haddonfield, NJ, won this event in 2009 in a time of 21:22. She competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 1500 meters and finished third at the 2010 Fifth Avenue Mile.




Davila, 27, of Rochester Hills, MI, will make her Emerald Nuts Midnight Run debut after running 2:26:20, the fastest marathon time for a U.S. woman in 2010, at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.




Curtis, 26, of Ardmore, PA, won the 2008 NCAA 5000 meter title. He ran 27:33.38 for 10,000 meters in 2010, the fourth-fastest time of the year by an American.

Lehmkuhle, 33, of Minneapolis, MN, is familiar with Central Park, as he has finished eighth (2008) and ninth (2009) in the ING New York City Marathon. Lehmkuhle has a personal best of 13:38.73 for 5000 meters. His wife, Kristen Nicolini, will also take part in the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run for the first time.




For more details on the race and pre-race festivities in Central Park, visit: www.nyrr.org