Another year passes by and Queens Distance has held yet another race at Forest Park! The QDR Forest Park 10 & 5 miler race started at 9AM this past Sunday, September 2nd. It was the seventh time we’ve held a race on the hilly road inside Forest Park. As Queens Distance Team Captain Kevin Montalvo made sure everyone knew right before the race started, it was two out-and-back loops for the 5 milers and four out-and-back loops for the 10 milers. And then they were off!
The start of the Forest Park 10 & 5 Miler. Picture by Horse and Duck Photo.
We host our races around specific themes, current events, or to contribute back to our community. We’ve hosted the Philippines 5K (around the Philippines Independence Day), the World Cup 5K (before the 2018 World Cup), the Mexico 5 miler (on Cinco de Mayo), and other races to show the great cultures and diversity that Queens has to offer. The annual Toy Drive 5 Miler is held in December and we collect unopened toys for children in collaboration with Queens Centers for Progress.
Images by Horse and Duck Photo
This past Sunday, we collaborated with Queens Community House (QCH) and their Eviction Prevention Unit for the first time. The housing and homelessness prevention program advocates for affordable housing as well as spreading knowledge to tenants across the borough the Queens. Please listen to Housing Specialist John Strub from QCH with a pre-race speech thanking everyone who came out for the race and everyone who donated to QCH, and to spread the mission of the Eviction Prevention Unit.
Even though the race is over, please consider donating to Queens Community Housing!
We had many runners from different NYC running teams lined up. From Front Runners, to the Polska Running Team, to Achilles International, it was a show put on by the larger NYC running community. Congrats to all the runners! It was a hot morning but a good tune-up to prepare for all the upcoming Fall races and marathons.
Images by Horse and Duck Photo
Without the help of our volunteers, we would not be able to hold events, so a big thanks to them! We had Michael Remanche drive along the route to set up cones and drop off volunteers along the way; Diego Britez, Ginia Guzman, Jeff Muñoz, and Jonela Molla were course marshals; Jossue Vega was security at baggage check; Winston and Laurentia Mei were at the water station located at the far hairpin turn on the course; Nina Manso handed out medals to the finishers; and Jessica Peralta and Maria Wong took charge of the registration table and the Kids of Queens race. We also had double-duty volunteers that manned the water station by the start/finish area: Daniel Rivera, Michael, Jessica, and Maria. A huge thanks to Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance for their support and for making sure runners were safe as temperatures rose and to Elitefeats for timing the race and providing official results in a timely fashion. Last, but not least, thanks to our hardworking bike pacers, Mario Silva and Bryan Guzman, who led the first 10 miler male and female runners to the finish line as well as sweeping the course to make sure our runners were safe.
And Kevin! Kevin was not only race director but led the 5 mile winner and later the Queens of Kids race on Jossue’s bike!
Images by Horse and Duck Photo
In case you haven’t already seen, our stupendous photographers, Horse and Duck Photos, were there to capture every second of the excitement! Big thanks to the duo comprised of Jose Donado and Albert Tan who made it out to yet another QDR event! Check them out on their Instagram account and check out all the images taken on their public Flickr album.
Stay tuned for our next race later this year and follow our calendar for upcoming group runs and workouts.
Queens Distance Runners