On August 31, New York City Sports Commissioner and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe will welcome the Nike+ Human Race to Randall's Island. The Nike+ Human Race -- the world's largest one day running event -- will connect runners worldwide as they compete in a 10K race in one of 25 cities around the globe on the same day. New York's installment of the Nike+ Human Race will begin at 6:00pm adjacent to Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. After the race, New York participants will be treated to a free concert featuring the All-American Rejects.

"The Nike+ Human Race will be a running event unparalleled by any other," said Commissioner Podziba. "What makes this event phenomenal is that the race will combine athletic, charitable and entertainment components into one large all-encompassing experience. We are thrilled that Nike selected New York City as one of the 25 host cities for this special event as it will allow New Yorkers and our visitors an opportunity to be included in this wonderful world-wide celebration of the human spirit."

The Nike+ Human Race is designed to celebrate runners and their sport through a world-wide, unified running event. Other host cities include Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Paris, Istanbul, Melbourne, Shanghai, São Paulo, and Vancouver, among others. At the conclusion of each city's race, participants will be treated to an exclusive music concert featuring one of today's top artists.

"Parks is honored to host the Nike+ Human Race at the state-of-the-art Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island," said New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "Prior to winning Olympic gold, Usain Bolt broke the record for the 100-meter dash here at Icahn Stadium in May. This event will undoubtedly bring record-breaking numbers of runners to the stadium. New York City has some of the best places on earth to run from Central Park to Prospect Park to the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park and we are pleased to host this world-class competition."

Each city's race course will take runners by city-specific landmarks such as the famed Los Angeles Coliseum, Taipei 101 (the world's tallest building), Mexico City's historic center and the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Istanbul's race course will span the city's famous Bosphorus Bridge which will be closed to car traffic to allow participants to run from Europe to Asia, and back again. Runners not residing in or near any of the 25 host cities can join in on the action by logging on to nikeplus.com.

"The Randall's Island Sports Foundation is thrilled to be a part of the Nike+ Human Race," said Aimee Boden, Executive Director, Randall's Island Sports Foundation. "We are working with local community and City leadership to develop the island into the premiere sports and recreation destination in New York City. The New York participants will have a chance to experience this first-hand as they run the circumference of Randall's Island to the finish line at Icahn Stadium, our world-class track and field facility."

In addition to running and entertainment, the Nike+ Human Race also provides an opportunity for participants to support a charitable cause. Competitors are encouraged to raise money for one of the three following Nike+ Human Race charitable partners: the Lance Armstrong Foundation - uniting people in the fight against cancer; WWF - the global conservation organization addressing the causes and impacts of climate change; or the UN refugee agency's ninemillion.org campaign - bringing sport and education to refugee youth. Money will be raised via givebacks from runner registration fees, a percentage of Nike+ Human Race t-shirt sales and a donation of $1 million from Nike. Together, Nike and Nike+ Human Race runners will attempt to raise $3 million for the Nike+ Human Race beneficiaries.

"The Nike+ Human Race is about inspiring and connecting runners worldwide," said Trevor Edwards, Nike Vice President for Brand and Category Management. "We're offering runners new ways to compete and race, courses through legendary landmarks, each ending with a headlining musical act. It's an unprecedented way for us to bring an entirely new running experience to consumers around the globe."

For more information on the Nike+ Human Race and a complete listing of race cities, please visit nikeplus.com.

Parks & Recreation is the steward of almost 29,000 acres of land--14 percent of New York City--including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds; we manage four major stadiums, 550 tennis courts, 51 public pools, 34 recreation centers, 12 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches; we care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums; we look after 500,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal provider of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit our website: www.nyc.gov/parks.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. The Sports Commission has played an integral role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.