New York Road Runners
Nnenna Lynch doesn’t have time for performative firsts.
Yes, she’s the first woman to chair the New York Road Runners Board of Directors. And also yes, she’s the first Black person to hold that position in the organization’s nearly six-decade history. But if you’re expecting Lynch to spend much time reflecting on the symbolism of it all, you’ll be waiting a while.
“It’s great to celebrate and acknowledge these firsts, but mostly I concentrate on trying to lead with clarity of purpose and in a collaborative spirit,” she tells me. It’s a response that feels quintessentially Lynch—gracious enough to acknowledge the moment, but more interested in the work ahead.
And there’s plenty of work ahead. Lynch has been on the NYRR board since 2014, pushing the organization to do more. Open Run now operates at 16 sites across NYC and New Jersey, bringing nearly 17,000 people into the fold last year. NYRR Striders serves older adults with free walking and fitness programs, helping over 1,100 seniors stay active. The Rising New York Road Runners youth program now reaches 100,000 kids. These are the programs she’s championed, and are the ones that make running accessible to people who might not otherwise see themselves as runners.
“From the moment I joined the board, a priority of mine has been to expand the reach of our community programs because we know that running has the power to transform lives and communities,” she says. “Core to our philosophy and approach is the belief that running should be inclusive and accessible, regardless of your age or fitness level.”
Most people can say those words and not really mean them. But Lynch isn’t “most people.” She started running at 10 years old, became a professional middle-distance runner, and won the 1993 NCAA Woman of the Year award. She’s got five NCAA titles from Villanova, a Rhodes Scholar degree from Oxford, and built a career that included stints at Goldman Sachs and as a senior advisor in Mayor Bloomberg’s administration. She now runs Xylem Projects, her own mission-driven real estate firm.
Which is to say, Lynch knows what it takes to push through when things get uncomfortable. “Running taught me how to persevere through discomfort—not just physical pain, but uncertainty, doubt, and the long stretches when progress feels invisible,” she explains. “That mindset has carried me through every chapter of my professional life.”
She talks about running the way other people talk about therapy—as something that shapes how you see everything else. Setting ambitious goals, understanding that progress isn’t linear, learning that “disappointments are data points.” All of it translates.
“Running also instilled in me a sense of self-awareness and humility. The sport teaches you that you can’t fake preparation, that success depends on consistency, and that every result—good or bad—is feedback, not final judgment,” she says.
Lynch is quick to point out that running, despite its reputation as an individual sport, is deeply communal. “Every runner’s journey is supported by a network of coaches, therapists, teammates, mentors, family, and friends,” she says. “I lead with that same belief: that success is collective and symbiotic.”
Track and field has always celebrated Black sprinters, but road running? That’s been a different narrative. “Track and field has a long, rich history of black superstar sprinters, but that’s been less so in road running,” Lynch notes. “Our hope is that every child sees themselves as a runner from an early age—not because they’re fast, but because they feel running is accessible, welcoming, and part of their everyday life.”
Getting there means being intentional—about outreach, messaging, and who gets centered in NYRR’s work. The organization partners with run clubs like Harlem Run that prioritize inclusion. They’ve also launched East 89th St Productions, an in-house content studio. Their first project, “Final Finishers,” follows four runners at the back of the pack during races, and they’re all people who overcome incredible odds just to make it to the start line.
Lynch also points to NYRR’s own history. Ted Corbitt, the organization’s founding president and the “father of long-distance running,” was the first Black American to run the marathon in the Olympics. In the early 1960s, NYRR started welcoming kids and families. By 1972, they’d produced the Mini, the first women’s-only race. Today, women lead at every level of the organization, including more than half of the C-Suite.
“New York Road Runners has a phenomenal foundation when it comes to inclusion,” Lynch says. “The organization has always championed access and equity in running. Simply put, it’s a part of our DNA.”
Still, DNA only gets you so far. Lynch’s vision for NYRR’s future is ambitious. She wants New York City to be known globally not just for having the world’s biggest marathon, but as the global leader for running, health, and fitness. Right now, NYRR serves 100,000 kids across the city. Which may sound like a huge imprint on these city kids until you realize there are over 800,000 students in NYC public schools, with massive gaps in sports access. Only about 20 percent of public schools have a track team.
“My vision would be to see every child in New York City have the opportunity to run and for every school to have a run club,” Lynch says. She knows it’s going to require bold thinking and serious philanthropic support.
When asked about her advice for Black women trying to lead with impact in spaces that weren’t built for them, her answer is straightforward. “I think impact and influence come down to two things: mission and connection. Whatever room or organization you’re in and no matter who else is in it, if you have a clear purpose and do the work to listen, understand and be responsive to your colleagues, you’ll be in good stead.”
Lynch is betting big on running’s potential. “In a time of immense sociopolitical unrest, not to mention public health crises, running is the singular activity that has the potential to tend to our hearts, minds and, yes, even our souls at scale,” she says. “There is no other sport that has the potential to make that sort of impact.”
Coming from someone else, that might sound a little much. But Lynch has been an elite athlete, worked in real estate and public policy, and now leads a major nonprofit. When she talks about running changing lives, she’s not being idealistic, because she’s actually seen it happen.
And after nearly 60 years, NYRR finally has someone at the helm who gets that.