Mental Health Awareness Month
As a nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running, which includes using our platform to educate, share resources, and increase awareness about the positive impact physical activity can have on mental health.
During May, New York Road Runners is offering a variety of in-person activations, digital resources, and events to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month. To kick off Mental Health Awareness Month, our third-annual NYRR Mindful 5K will unite the community with 5,000 adult athletes and hundreds of youth participating in races and dashes in celebration of running and mental well-being.
We will also offer special Open Run and Striders sessions with our partner NAMI-NYC in select locations across the five boroughs and virtual run/walk challenges for adults and youth nationwide.
Join Us in Driving Mental Health Awareness in May
Stop By the Zen Zone at the NYRR Mindful 5K on May 2 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Calm your pre-race jitters with a soothing guided meditation session in our Zen Zone before the 5K! Center your mind and connect with fellow participants in a serene environment before the race.
Unwind with Our Pawlunteers: Visit Our Therapy Dog Area
Get ready for race day by spending some time with our friendly therapy dogs at the NYRR Mindful 5K, provided by New York Therapy Animals! These lovable companions are sure to lift your spirits, relieve stress, and boost your mood, providing the perfect pre-race pep.
Reflection Wall
Don't miss the opportunity to interact with our Reflection Wall at the NYRR Mindful 5K! This inspiring installation invites runners to pause and contemplate their mental well-being and the transformative power of running. Share your thoughts, aspirations, and experiences with fellow participants, creating a tapestry of inspiration and support. Whether you're reflecting on personal growth or the joy of movement, the Reflection Wall is a space to honor the journey towards better mental health and the resilience that running fosters. Join the conversation and be part of a community that values wellness and self-discovery.
Make Your Miles Count, Anywhere in the World
Run into wellness this month by joining the Virtual NYRR Mental Health Awareness Month Challenge. This invigorating challenge inspires everyone to seize the profound benefits that running provides for your mental well-being. Complete 31 total miles anywhere, anytime between May 1 and May 31. You can choose to run as many miles as you wish on any given day over the course of the month—it’s up to you as long your miles equal 31!
Encourage Kids to Join the Free Rising NYRR Mindful Virtual Run
Motivate the young runners in your life to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with a fun, flexible, and free virtual run. By registering, kids commit to run or walk any distance between April 1 and May 31. Kids can choose a course outdoors, indoors, or even on a treadmill. There’s no need to track their time—just have fun! Make it extra special with a printable bib and an official Rising New York Road Runners finisher certificate.
Open Run for an Open Mind – Everyone is Welcome!
Join us at a special NYRR Open Run on Saturday, May 30 at 9:00 a.m. at Baisley Pond Park in Queens to run or walk approximately 5K at your own pace. This session will feature representatives from NAMI-NYC leading conversations about the impact of physical activity on mental well-being.
Stride Toward Stronger Minds and Bodies
The NYRR Striders program will host its Walking Challenge, bringing together participants across all five boroughs through movement, fresh air, and community. The challenge introduces a friendly competition across participating sites, adding energy and connection to the experience.
Scroll Horizontally on Mobile for all details.
| DATE | ADDRESS |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. | Engineers Gate, Central Park, Manhattan |
| Wednesday, May 6, 9:30 a.m. | NYRR Striders at West Brighton Senior Center, Staten Island |
| Tuesday, May 12, 1:30 p.m. | Albany Senior Center, Brooklyn |
| Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. | Highbridge Senior Center, Bronx |
| Monday, May 18, 10:30 a.m. | Rochdale Village Senior Center, Queens |
Digital Content
Experience Serenity with Our Own NYRR Mindful 5K Guided Meditation!
Adding meditation to your pre-run routine can boost both focus and endurance. Research shows that meditating before a run increases concentration by 20% and enhances endurance by 15%, as published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Meditation calms the mind, reduces stress, and promotes relaxation, enabling more efficient and enjoyable runs. Immerse yourself in our soothing meditation to elevate your running experience and find harmony and peace.
Set the Pace Presented by Peloton Recognizes Mental Health Awareness Month
Peloton instructor Kirra Michel discusses yoga and mindfulness for runners. She leads listeners on a guided meditation and offers advice on integrating moments of mindfulness and stillness into your training. Listen now!
More episodes:
Listen now:
- A special Mother’s Day episode featuring the story of Carey Socol, one mom who found solace and healing through running. Check out the episode here.
- Olympian and TCS New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi’s personal advice on how to manage the post-marathon and half marathon blues. Check out the episode here.
Upcoming:
- May 28: Peloton’s Selena Samuela, a mom of three who recently returned from maternity leave after having twins, discusses motherhood, identity shifts, and the mental and emotional realities of the postpartum period.
New York Road Runners Invites You to Move and “Win the Day”
In a op-ed for the New York Daily News, NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer highlights the organization's commitment to mental health awareness, emphasizing the positive impact running can have on mental well-being. He shares personal insights and encourages runners to prioritize their mental health and utilize the support systems available through NYRR.
Running Through Grief: Finding Mindfulness Through Movement
Meet NYRR marketing strategist, certified mindfulness and meditation teacher, and runner Kristina Lopez. Read her story on our blog as she shares how running and meditation have been vital to her grieving process since losing her grandmother last year .
Free Resources
NAMI-NYC
Mental illness affects us all. Guided by lived experience and evidence-based practices, the National Alliance on MentalIllness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) helps families and individuals affected by mental illness build better lives through education, support, and advocacy. NAMI-NYC offers free mental health classes, support groups, family mentoring, a Helpline in 180+ languages, and much more. Find support for youor a loved one.
All programs and services are completely free and available regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status. NAMI-NYC is the only nonprofit providing direct support to family members who have a loved one with mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Helpline at 212-684-3264 or visit naminyc.org/helpline/.
Programs For:
- Individuals Living with a Mental Health Condition
- NEW! Teens Ages 14-18
- Family Members and Friends
- Schools
- Companies
You may also be interested in:
- NAMIWalks NYC + Mental Health Street Fest on Sunday, May 17
- NAMI-NYC's support groups for family and peers
For Young People
NAMI-NYC now offers free mental health programs for teens 14-18.
- Chat with Our Helpline: Teens ages 14–18 can reach out to their Helpline to talk with peers close to their age who truly understand. Ask your mental health questions and share what’s on your mind—our Helpline is here to listen.
- Join Connection Corner (Teen Support Group): NAMI-NYC’s new virtual teen support group is facilitated by peers close in age, offering a space to connect and find community. Join us weekly on Zoom. Sessions are free and no registration is required.
- Bring Mental Health Awareness to Your School: Request NAMI-NYC’s Ending the Silence presentation to learn about mental health, how to help your friends, and ask for help when you need it. Funded in part by The Connor Sheehan Fund.
- Join Our Youth Advisory Group: Share your lived experience with mental health challenges and shape NAMI-NYC’s programs for teens. Meets monthly.
NYRR Free Resources for Youth
While Rising New York Road Runners develops kids’ movement skills through running-based activities, it is just as important to teach kids how to calm their minds and bodies. The videos below guide kids through breathing exercises and light movement to help them return to a resting state or to take a moment to pause and reset.
- Feeling Breaths and Sounding Breaths
- Stop the Rock and Balloon Breath
- Movement and Breathing Inspired by Nature
- Sensory Poem and Sensory Breathing
Maybelline New York – Brave Together
As part of Maybelline New York’s global initiative, Brave Together, to support everyone experiencing anxiety and depression, the brand has created support tools to help navigate everything from spotting the signs, to how to practice self-care, to exploring resources.
In 2025, Maybelline launched the digital version of Brave Talk, a training to further amplify the brand’s mission to make one-to-one support for anxiety and depression accessible to all.
Through the five easy-to-remember B.R.A.V.E. steps of Brave Talk, users can learn how to start a conversation with a friend, support them, and lead them to care in less than 10 minutes. Along the way, users will gain helpful information and tools from the training and decide how they would approach each situation. The aim is to gather the five B.R.A.V.E. letters representing the steps for supporting a struggling friend, thereby completing Brave Talk:
- Be Present
- Right Setting
- Ask Questions
- Validate Feelings
- Encourage Action
Through the Brave Together program, Maybelline New York has a goal of helping 10 million people access one-to-one mental health support and donating $20 million to this cause by 2030 so no one has to struggle alone.
To access the new Brave Talk digital training or to learn more about Maybelline New York's Brave Together program you can visit www.maybelline.com/brave-talk-training .
Community Stories
At 79, Mildred Baker Runs Her First Half Marathon
A longtime NYC resident, Mildred was looking to get more physically active. She loves the walking and fitness activities, but Striders means more to her. “It’s made me more open, more friendly” she said. “Wherein I did not communicate or talk to anyone, now it seems like they have pulled the good out of me. [Fellow Striders] are like a family to me.”
Eddie Collazo: Running for His Father and His Son
Eddie Collazo is running the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half to honor his late father, who passed away last March after suffering multiple strokes. The loss was a blow for Eddie, who is a father himself to a son, Isaiah.
Fireside Chat with Molly Seidel
On May 2, 2023, to kick off Mental Health Awareness Month, NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer sat down with Olympian Molly Seidel at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub to discuss her mental health challenges over the course of her career. Catch the highlights below or watch the Full Fireside Chat.
Set the Pace Podcast: Meditation and Mindfulness with Peloton Instructor Kirra Michel
The episode explores yoga’s benefits for runners and offers practical advice for integrating mindfulness into your training. Kirra also leads listeners through a short, guided meditation.
"Running Has Been Invaluable for My Mental Health"
College lacrosse player Cailin Bracken spoke out about the pressures facing student-athletes and the impact on their mental health. Running long distances has brought her solace, and on May 20, 2023 she lined up for her first-ever race, the RBC Brooklyn Half.
For Danny Barcia, the Physical and Mental Benefits of
Running Go Hand in Hand
During Mental Health Awareness Month, he's celebrating a
return to his NYRR Open Run community and the sport he loves.
Tips to Help with the Post-Marathon Blues
Training for a marathon takes months of discipline and hard
work, logging mile after mile week after week. When race day
finally arrives it’s a 26.2-mile celebration of all the
work you've put in to get to the starting line. But after the
excitement of race day fades, some runners may feel down,
unfocused, and unmotivated.
The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
NYRR’s youth and community programs bring free running
and fitness opportunities to communities all over NYC. The
benefits of exercise go beyond the physical to include mental
health benefits too. We hear from program participants on how
exercise impacts their mental health.
RBC Brooklyn Half Runners Are Part of an Amazing Local
Community
Two runners with strong ties to Brooklyn, like many others in
the 26,000-runner field, have overcome challenges and drawn on
community connections to be a part of this year’s race.
Jackie Quan: Running to Feel Alive and Strong
Jackie Quan started running NYRR races in 2020, after surgery
and the death of her sister. For Jackie, running was a way out
of pain and was there to preserve her mental health.
"I’m Proud of Myself for Continuing to Just Move in
the Midst of a Horrible Tragedy"
Olivia Witherite at the United Airlines NYC Half,
Picture"I’m Proud of Myself for Continuing to Just Move
in the Midst of a Horrible Tragedy" In the spring of 2023,
Olivia Witherite went from being a casual runner who
occasionally ran races to deciding she would get serious about
training for the 2023 RBC Brooklyn Half. She said she ran the
race and “felt really great about what was next."
Molly Seidel Openly Shares Her Mental Health
Challenges
Molly Seidel is an Olympic medalist and one of America's top
distance runners. She has been transparent about her struggles
with obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, and eating disorders.