On May 18, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth Podziba will welcome the 7th Annual NYPD Memorial 5K Run to New York City. The purpose of this race is to honor all NYPD officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The event will begin at the New York City Police Memorial Wall at Liberty Street and the North Cove Marina (Hudson River) at 9:40am. There will be a moment of silence followed by a 5K run/walk. The event concludes with an awards ceremony and a free barbeque for all participants. Proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund which will help family members of officers killed in the line of duty.

"Each and every day, New York's Finest put their lives on the line to protect and serve the citizens of our city," said Commissioner Podziba. "The courage and character needed to perform their duty comes from the strength and support of their families, friends and members of the community. By running in the NYPD Memorial 5K, participants can pay homage to these fallen heroes while helping raise awareness of the NYPD Memorial Wall."

Co-race directors and founders of the event, NYPD Running Club (NYPDRC) Treasurer Tom Lowney and NYPDRC President Tom Biggers, have each expressed their excitement in creating an event that provides a unique opportunity for people to make a donation to a worthy cause.

"This race is run in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while putting their lives at risk in order to protect the lives of others," said NYPDRC Race directors Thomas Lowney & Thomas Biggers. "This year, as we remember and pay tribute to all of our heroes whose names are inscribed on the NYPD Memorial Wall, we will be paying a special tribute to Police Officer Russel Timoshenko and Auxiliary Police Officers Nicholas Pekearo and Yevgeniy Marshalik who were killed in the line of duty in 2007."

The day's activities begin with a short memorial service at the Memorial Wall, followed by the 5K run/walk, a children's fun run and a barbeque. The event is expected to have more than 1,500 participants, which ensures that there will be a runner for every NYPD Officer ever killed in the line of duty. Over the last six years, this event has raised more than $40,000. The NYPD Running Club relies on donations generated from this event to succeed in its mission of raising awareness of the Memorial Wall while paying tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters.

Registration will be available the morning of the race between 8:00am and 9:30am at PS/IS 89 on the corner of Chambers Street and West Street. Each participant will receive a race t-shirt and a Finishers Hero towel. For online registration and for more information about the event, please visit www.nypdmemorialrun.com.

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. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a 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.