NYRR Honors Volunteers
at Annual Awards Ceremony

New York Road Runners Honors Volunteers at Annual Hall of Fame Award Ceremony During Global Volunteer Month 

New York, April 29, 2026 – New York Road Runners (NYRR)—the nonprofit that “runs” New York City—celebrated Global Volunteer Month with its annual NYRR Volunteer Hall of Fame Award Ceremony and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday night, honoring several volunteers for their dedication and support.  

In 2025, New York Road Runners was supported by a record number of more than 22,000 volunteers who served 112,000+ hours across events. An additional 116 volunteer captains served nearly 2,100 hours at NYRR Open Runs—free, community-led weekly running and walking programs hosted at 16 local parks across all five boroughs and Jersey City.

“From the TCS New York City Marathon to the 5th Avenue Mile and all the Open Runs and weekly races in between, New York Road Runners could not do what we do without our thousands of volunteers,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO. “While it’s important to recognize and thank these members of our community whose hundreds of hours of dedication make it possible to produce best-in-class experiences for our athletes year-round, Global Volunteer Month is a great opportunity to celebrate and elevate their outstanding efforts.”  

NYRR Volunteer Hall of Fame 

Dwayne Evans of Canarsie, Brooklyn, N.Y., Robert Moore of Inwood, Manhattan, N.Y., and Darnley Simon of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y., were this year’s NYRR Hall of Fame inductees, recognized for their consistent involvement with New York Road Runners and years of service.  

In 1990, Evans’ track and field coach at Brooklyn’s South Shore High School encouraged him to volunteer at the New York City Marathon to give back to the running community. He has returned to volunteer at the mile 4 fluid station in Brooklyn every year since. Evans has turned volunteering into a full family affair, with his parents and two kids joining him on the course. He also has been accompanied nearly every year by his father, Dalton Evans, who was inducted into NYRR’s Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2023. Evans’ favorite volunteer memory was the first time his son joined him, his father, and his former track coach at the marathon fluid station, describing it as a full-circle moment. 

After Moore was diagnosed as borderline diabetic in 2015 and his doctor recommended exercising more, he worked with New York Road Runners to launch a new Open Run site in his neighborhood at Inwood Hill Park. With the help of NYRR Open Run, he dramatically improved his blood sugar, lost over 50 pounds, and has since completed several marathons. A decade-plus later, Moore has served more than 250 hours as a volunteer captain for the program, motivating others to believe in themselves. “I just want people to feel like I’m there for them,” said Moore. “When they come to Open Run, they will see me there.”  

Simon started volunteering with New York Road Runners in 1995, helping distribute water along the course of the New York City Marathon. Though she wasn’t a runner at the time, she always loved volunteering and felt compelled to get involved with the race. Over the last 20 years, Simon has volunteered at hundreds of NYRR races and participated in several, including four New York City Marathons. She loves the camaraderie of the volunteer community and helping support runners across the finish line, especially the ones she sees over and over again. “To me, volunteering is like creating a new family—there's such camaraderie, and it’s so much fun,” said Simon. “It’s a great thing to be recognized, but I don’t do it for the recognition. I do it because I enjoy it.” 

New York Road Runners launched the NYRR Volunteer Hall of Fame in April 2021, as an addition to its longstanding annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, to commemorate the thousands of volunteers who support the nonprofit’s 60 annual adult and youth races, including the TCS New York City Marathon, and its free year-round youth and community programs. Each April, during Global Volunteer Month, New York Road Runners identifies, nominates, and inducts standout volunteers. These individuals embody the spirit of service and have demonstrated leadership, commitment, and passion for the organization’s vision of building healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running.  

Outstanding Volunteer Award 

In addition to the three Hall of Fame inductees, five volunteers were recognized with the Outstanding Volunteer Award for their exemplary service and dedication.  

Kenneth Grumer took up running during the pandemic as an alternative to the gym and quickly signed up for his first race. He volunteered at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2023 to get more involved with the running community. The experience inspired him to volunteer and race more, eventually becoming a volunteer leader—a role with more responsibilities like helping check in other volunteers, giving orientations, and providing event operations support. He sees the role as an opportunity to show his gratitude and be a part of something bigger than himself. Grumer served more than 100 volunteer hours across 18 shifts at various NYRR races in 2025.  

Otto Lam first started running New York Road Runners races when he moved to New Jersey and ran his first marathon in 2004. That experience taught him about fueling, pacing, and training. To help others avoid his mistakes, Lam became a volunteer pacer with New York Road Runners. He always encourages runners to go ahead of him at the finish line, but many wait for him to express their gratitude for helping them achieve their goals. Over the past decade, Otto has paced more than 50 New York Road Runners races, including every TCS New York City Marathon since 2014. 

While Beth Schmal, a nurse from Arizona, was on vacation in New York City in 2013, she struck up a conversation with a medical volunteer along the New York City Marathon course who inspired her to sign up to be a medical volunteer for the following year’s race. The marathon has since become an annual solo trip tradition—an opportunity for her to take time for herself, while also using her medical background to support the iconic event. Typically stationed at the finish line medical tent, Schmal treats runners in need before they receive their medal and reunite with their families. She has volunteered a total of more than 100 hours, serving at nearly every New York City Marathon since 2014.  

Cynthia Sung volunteered for her first TCS New York City Marathon over a decade ago, supporting her friends and family who were running the race. Years later when she moved to Brooklyn in 2021, she decided to volunteer again, helping New York Road Runners return to in-person races after the pandemic. Sung became a volunteer leader in 2023 and has served hundreds of hours, including more than 120 hours across 20 New York Road Runners races last year.  

A lifelong Queens resident, John Wagner has been running with NYRR Open Run since the Highland Park site opened in 2017. What started as a fun way to stay active and get to know his neighbors quickly turned into a weekly habit. In 2019, the lead volunteer captain invited him to become one himself, and he has volunteered nearly every week since. In 2025, he served 22 volunteer shifts, totaling more than 85 hours.  

NYRR Volunteer Service Award and Medical Captains 

Newly renamed this year, the NYRR Volunteer Service Award honored 21 volunteers who have served more than 100 volunteer hours with New York Road Runners. These recipients included Barbara Brauner-Klasewitz, Genie Castillo, Nancy Chiu, Kenneth Grumer, Mary Harvey, Joan Innocent, Roxann Jackson, Levi Jeffers, Thomas Kim, Franklin Lee, Mei Yan Lee, Cheryl Linton, Laurentia Mei, Eric Muirhead, Erenea Saludares, Darnley Simon, Dietmar Stork, Cynthia Sung, Susanna Wade, Neil Weiss, Steven Yee, and Melena Zagorye.  

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees and award recipients, the nonprofit honored 12 individuals who have served as volunteer medical captains at the TCS New York City Marathon. Marathon medical captains have supported the operations and clinical care from the start, across the course, and at the finish of the race for several years. The honorees in attendance were Steve Caddle, Richard G. Chang, Alain Fedida, Bruce Gelb, Nydia Pagan-Howard, Tomasz D. Howard, Vanessa Jeffers, Amie Kim, Therese Lim, Jennifer Maccagnano, Matt Melamed, and Salvador Portugal. 

New York Road Runners offers more than 28,000 volunteer opportunities at events throughout the year including support at water stations, bag checks, pre- and post-race festivals, expos, Open Run, and more, in addition to medical volunteers and pacers. More information about this year’s NYRR Volunteer Hall of Fame can be found HERE.