By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
NEW YORK (06-Jun) — There may not be lights, but there will be cameras and plenty of action.
The 53rd edition of the Mastercard New York Mini 10-K, scheduled here for Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in Central Park, is really an extension of this city’s famous theater district about one mile to the south. It’s a big production, with stars, a supporting cast, an audience, and thousands of extras.
“The sense of joy and camaraderie at the Mini is unlike anything else,” said New York Road Runners board chair Nenna Lynch at a press conference today.
She’s right. The Mini, along with the TCS New York City Marathon and New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile, is one of New York Road Runners’ three signature events with a long history. The Mini was founded in 1972, just three weeks before the passage of Title IX. There were no road races for women then and the Mini changed that forever. Seventy-two women finished the first edition of the race which was won by 17 year-old Jacki Dixon, who covered the then-six-mile course in 37:02.
“I was just hanging on the last five miles,” said Dixon, who is now the mayor of Loveland, Colo., under her married name of Jacki Marsh.
Like women’s running, the Mini grew slowly. It wasn’t until 1978 that the race had over 3,000 finishers, and it didn’t hit the 5,000 mark until 1985. L’eggs, a brand of women’s hosiery, sponsored the race from 1978 through 1990, then Advil took over from 1991 through 1997. The current title sponsor, Mastercard, didn’t come on board until the 2021 race (the first edition after the COVID pandemic shutdown), and this will be the fifth year that the credit card company will have its name on the race. New York Road Runners officials expect over 10,000 women to finish the race (there were a record 9,688 finishers last year).
Of course, some of the greatest female distance runners have won the Mini, including Norwegians Grete Waitz (five times) and Ingrid Kristiansen (twice). Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe won five times, as did Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat. Another Kenyan star, Mary Keitany, won the race three times.
This year’s race features a superstar cast of Olympians and other fast women, like Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon champions Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya; like American Olympians Weini Kelati, Emily Sisson, Emily Infeld, and Dakotah Popehn; and American up-and-comers like Taylor Roe, Emma Grace Hurley and Amanda Vestri. Each of them would love to become a Mini winner.
But the real stars are the nearly quarter million women who have finished the Mini since the race’s inception. Fast and slow, black and white, young and old, these women have come from all places and walks of life to celebrate the joy of running, to have a race they can call their own. This is just as true now as it was back in 1972.
“I absolutely love all-women’s races,” said women’s running pioneer Marilyn Bevans who, at 75 years-old, will run the Mini for the 14th time. “I absolutely love it.”
And if you’re a man, the Mini has a place for you, too. Get over the Central Park tomorrow, find a spot along the course, and cheer for these active women. It’s one of the greatest off-Broadway shows you can see, and admission is free.
PHOTO: New York Road Runners chair Nenna Lynch (left) with two-time USA Olympian Emily Sisson (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: New York Road Runners chief commercial officer Christine Burke (left) with women’s running pioneer Marilyn Bevans (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
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