Sri Chinmoy Thanksgiving Day 5K & 10K

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York

A flat and fast course through scenic Flushing Meadows Park!

Free parking
Scenic, accurately measured USATF certified course
Custom race shirts
Custom finisher medals
Free finisher photos
Bag Check
Aid stations every mile
Kids Race 8:40AM
Post-race pancake breakfast!

About the event

Join us on Thursday, November 28, 2024, 9AM for the fourteenth annual Sri Chinmoy Thanksgiving Day 5K, 10K & Kids Race, featuring a scenic, mostly flat and fast 5K loop around historic Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Come out and support your park!  All proceeds of this race go to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Sponsored by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in cooperation with the NYC Parks Department.

PERKS & AMENITIES:

Free parking, bag check, aid stations every mile, custom race shirts and finisher medals, free finisher photos, and our famous post race pancake breakfast!

Register now >>

View full race details >>

Events

5K or 10K

    • 9:00AM
    • $25 through Oct. 26
    • $30 through Nov. 13
    • $35 through Nov. 21, 12 noon
    • No race-day registration
  • View course map »

Kids Race

    • 8:40AM
    • $3 pre-reserved (use button below)
    • $5 race-day

Contact

516.710.8084
Send Email

Certification

  • USATF Certified Course NY16032JG & NY16033JG

RACE DETAILS

Registration & Fees

Register online through RedPodium (a small processing fee applies).  Registration also available through RunSignup and Active, but processing fees are higher.

Same entry fee for 5K and 10K

$25 through Oct. 31
$30 through Nov. 18
$35 through Nov 26, 12 noon (unless race sells out sooner!)

No race-day registration.  Entries strictly cannot be transferred to another person.

Remember: Register early and save yourself a few bucks, guarantee yourself a race hat, and make things easier for us!

 

RACE START

9:00AM sharp for ALL runners in both the 5K and the 10K

 

KIDS RACE

Fun for the little ones, too!  There will be a Kids Race at 8:40 a.m., for children under 13.  Each child will be issued a mini race bib and receive a finisher medal and a small gift.  The course distance will be 400 meters or less, and there may be two separate heats, depending on the number of children and their ages.

Kids Race registration fee is $3 if pre-reserving a spot in advance (use "Kids race reservation" button further up), or $5 if registering for the first time on race-day.  In either case, you will need to pay the fee in cash on race-day, anytime from 8:00 a.m. onward.
Please note that children under 13 are not eligible to run the 5K or 10K.

 

The Course

A scenic, mostly flat and fast USATF certified 5K loop starting at the north end of Meadow Lake, passing the iconic World's Fair Unisphere, Fountain of the Planets, Queens Zoo, New York State Pavilion and Queens Museum of Art.  5K = 1 loop, 10K = 2 loops.
USATF course certification NY16032JG, NY16033JG.

 

Race Packets

Choose Packet Shipping when registering ($6.45), to avoid the lines on race day and have your hat and bib delivered to your door before the race. Option available to US addresses only, through Nov. 16.  All packets will ship out Nov. 18.
For runners that do not choose packet shipping, packet pickup is available at the race site between 7:30-8:30AM.

 

TIMING / WEARING YOUR BIB

We will be using RaceResult chip timing this year.  For best read-rates, and to ensure you are included in the results, be sure to pin your bib visibly on your stomach, facing out, right side up.  This will also ensure a high tag rate for photos your are in, for you to download / share after the race.  Do not fold, crease, crumple, tear or cut your bib in any way as this can damage the chips on the back.

If you would like to avoid pinning your bib to your jacket or top, use of bib magnets or a bib belt is recommended

 

Race Shirts

*Race shirts guaranteed for all participants registered by Nov. 14.
Shirt sizes are Unisex or Women's Fitted: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, and Unisex 2XL

 

BAG CHECK

Bag check will be available at Race-Day Central starting at 7:45AM.  We cannot accommodate large bags / backpacks, and we cannot be responsible for any valuables.  Thank you for understanding.

 

Awards

Men’s and Women’s awards categories:

For 5K and 10K:
Under 50: Top 7
50-59: Top 3
60-69: Top 2
70 & over: First Place

Custom medals for all finishers

Awards Ceremony at 9:50 AM for 5K, 10:15 AM for 10K

Award rankings are based on gun times (not chip times)

 

Post-Race Pancake Breakfast

Pancakes are more enjoyable when they are earned, and we're cooking them up fresh for everyone on race-day!

 

Time Limits

5K: 1 hr
10K: 1 hr 30 min

 

Age Restrictions

Participants in the 5K must be 13 or older to compete, 15 or older for the 10K

 

Race Results

Results will be posted within 24 hours, and emailed to all finishers.

 

Course Records

5K:  Men:  15:34 Rich Ryan, Nov. 24, 2022.  Women:  17:44 Laura Nicholson, Nov. 23, 2023

10K:  Men: 35:22 Anthony Pena, Nov. 24, 2022.  Women:  40:11 Mara Kennedy, Nov. 25, 2021

 

Cancellation Policy

We live in uncertain times.  If we are forced to cancel this event owing to circumstances beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

  • New or modified COVID-19 regulations/restrictions imposed by park officials or city or state governments;
  • Unsafe conditions in the park, such as excessive snow or ice on the roadways, or other severe weather related conditions;

the event will be converted to a virtual one.  Registered participants will still receive race giveaways and finisher medals in the mail upon completion of the virtual race, and trophies will be mailed to winners as per the awards breakdown above.

 

Race Credit / Refund Policy

Please view our policy here before submitting a request for refund or credit.

 

Visit us in Queens!

Stop by for a visit!  Enjoy food, shopping & more, in a peaceful atmosphere:

Dining:
Annam Brahma Restaurant  (718) 523-2600
Smile of the Beyond (Breakfast & Lunch)  (718) 739-7453
Panorama of My Silence-Heart Cafe  (718) 206-4960

Shopping:
Guru Health Foods  (718) 291-7406
Divine Robe Supreme (Clothing and gift boutique) (718) 523-2082
Guru Stationery (Stationery and gift shop) (718) 523-3471
The Garland of Divinity's Love (Flowers for all occasions)  (718) 523-3692

Services:
The Manifestation-Glow (Full service design & printing) (718) 380-5259
Victory-Factory (Screen printing supplies)  (718) 454-2255

 

Directions

Subway

The closest subway station is Mets-Willets Point on the number 7 subway line.  It’s a 1.1-mile walk to Race-Day Central (the perfect warm-up jog!)

Exit the train and follow the signs to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, then click this link for the walking route to Race-Day Central.  Alternatively, you can follow these written directions:

Continue towards Flushing Meadows, across the long foot bridge over a parking lot and train / bus yards. At the end of the bridge you'll go down a long ramp to David Dinkins Circle.  At the circle bear right towards the Unisphere (giant 140-ft. tall steel globe).  At the Unisphere go to the left 1/3 of the way around the Unisphere, then turn left towards Queens Theater.  Pass the theater and New York State Pavilion (tall steel towers) on your right, continue past the skateboard park, then over the footbridge over the Long Island Expressway.   Race-Day Central is on the right side of Meadowlark Circle, at the end of the footbridge.

Click here to open Race-Day Central on Google Maps

 

Driving

*** NEW, STARTING IN 2023:  Race parking will be in the Meadow Lake Boat Rental Parking lot, a 7-minute walk from Race-Day Central ***

Important navigation notice:  We do NOT recommend using navigation apps other than Google maps (such as Waze and Apple maps), as most of them do not recognize some of the roads inside the park and can take you to the wrong part of the park on the wrong side of the expressway.  (Flushing Meadows park is surprisingly HUGE, larger than Central Park).

Click this google map link to take you to the parking lot entrance, or type "Meadow Lake Boat Rental Parking lot, Queens, NY, " into Google maps.

Park as close as you can to the parking lot entrance, to minimize walking distance to the race.

Click this link to show walking route to Race-Day Central, or follow these written directions:

From the north end of the parking lot (near where you just drove in), walk north along the pathway, cross the short bridge, then turn left onto the first paved pathway at the end of the bridge.  Follow for about 1/4-mile (you will pass a small circle with pavers) then finally you will come to a large grassy circle (Meadowlark Circle).  Race-Day Central is past the far side of the circle.  0.3-mile / 7 minute walk from the parking lot.  

To view the location of Race-Day Central on google maps, you can either click this map link, or type in "Meadowlark Circle, Queens, NY 11375"