The inaugural The 7 Line 7K was freakin awesome!

by Darren Meenan September 25, 2024 0 Comments

I'm going to try to keep this blog kinda short, but that probably won't happen. If ya want to just see some pretty photos and check out the results, scroll down.

If not, here are my thoughts on this day in no particular order... 

I ran a 5K with my wife on New Year's Eve at Flushing Meadows Park. Along the course you could see Citi Field in the distance through the trees. Before I even finished those 3.1 miles, that got my wheels spinning. At that point I was only a month in to this new found love of running (a Turkey Trot got me hooked), and I had zero idea how to organize a race. I knew right away that I wanted to put on an event of my own. That New Year's Eve 5K was put on by elitefeats. 

So within 2 days, The 7 Line 7K was born. At this point I knew I liked to run, and wanted to put together something positive for our fan base.

Brendan, his wife Jen, and all their elitefeats employees did an incredible job showing me the ropes, getting all the permits, and organizing the whole day. My role was relatively simple in the grand scheme of things. Name the race, promote it, design the look of the logo/medals/shirts, deal with the Mets to run through their parking lot, and work on potential sponsors.

Getting the Amazin' Mets Foundation involved was very important to me. They do a ton of work in the community, and being able to add them as a beneficiary was great. The work Alex Cohen and her team have put in to the Foundation is tremendous, and anything I can do to help them I'm more than happy to. 

The race was initially planned for July 13th. A big storm was rolling through that weekend with almost 100% chance of lightning. Rain is fine, but it wouldn't be safe or responsible for us to have people run in a thunderstorm. The race was pushed to September 22nd. 

 

Finally race day was here! We ended up with over 1,700 sign ups which is a very strong number for year one. A decent amount of those did end up going virtual since our postponed race date landed on the same day as another big race (a NYRR race that gives NYC Marathon credits). The day before was also the annual Cow Harbor race on Long Island which didn't help either. In the end 871 lined up for The 7 Line 7K. Still a very nice turnout. 

Mr. Met and Mookie Wilson were there vibing with the crowd, taking photos, and cheering everyone on. The "Mookie Mile" was also a hit. A short race within the race. The fastest runner of Mile 2 (William Brancato) won a free Mookie Wilson jersey in his size. 

There was a kids fun run before the main race, and I hope this sparked something in them to not only love running, but maybe the Mets too. Sometimes core memories like this can change a kids life. Having Mr. Met cheer me on at the finish line as a kid is something I don't think I'd be able to forget. Sort of sounds like a dream to be honest. 

 

Besides a ton of orange and blue attire, some people dressed up. 

 

Some people wore custom t-shirts. OMG THIS IS A 7K!

 

Some people ran. 

Some people walked.

 

In the end everyone completed the same 4.3 miles and received their finisher medal. That's what this entire event was about. Go at your own comfortable pace, get people moving, start the day on a positive foot, and promote healthy habits.

Running through the park, up to the Shea Stadium base paths, back past the unisphere and to the finish line was incredible. The day went off without a hitch, and it was hard to find anyone without a smile on their face after crossing the finish line.

Of course not everyone will fall in love with running after this, but I already heard from countless people who ran/walked with us and are already looking up dates for future races. I caught the bug really quick, and I know for a fact The 7 Line 7K will be a gateway for others to as well. Mission accomplished there. 

Doing something cool with your wife is a big bonus too. 

William Brancato, from Rutherford New Jersey, took gold in the male division with a blistering time of 21:53. A 5:02 mile pace. He's a fast one. At that speed of course he also won the Mookie Mile. 

Cassandra Raia, from Clifton New Jersey, took gold in the female division with a very respectable time of 26:15. A 6:02 mile pace. 

Check out the full results HERE. 

To see a gallery of really great photos of the day, click HERE. Feel free to save and share them on your social media. Tag @the7line for photo credit if ya can and we'll repost some. 

I can't see a bib number here, but the below photo is awesome. For sure frame worthy.

All in all, the day was a tremendous success. We're shooting for April of 2025 for the 2nd annual, and I hope you can make it! We have some big plans for next year, and you're more than encouraged to join us! Stay tuned for an official date soon. 

Thank you to elitefeats, the Parks Department, NYPD, the Mets, Mr. Met, Mookie Wilson, the sponsors, the spectators, and of course the participants. 

Oh yea, and Northwell Health Stars Rehabilitation. Your pre and post race stretching was a hit. Thank you!

 

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