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New York has officially reached the point where running extremely fast could help pay your housing costs.
Nike is taking over Orchard Street this Saturday, August 29, for Who Runs NYC?, a one-day street race on the Lower East Side where two speedy New Yorkers will walk (or rather sprint) away with up to $4,000 each toward one month of rent.
The event runs from noon to 4pm outside LAAMS at 74 Orchard Street, with runners competing in a series of 100-meter sprints. Selected participants will work their way through qualifying heats, with five finalists in each division advancing to the last round. Ultimately, two winners, one man and one woman, will each receive up to $4,000, paid directly to them. (Nike is billing that as a month of free rent, but whether $4,000 actually covers your entire rent is, naturally, an extremely New York question.)
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The median market-rate rent in Manhattan reportedly hit $5,000 last month, meaning the prize could still leave a winner hunting around the couch cushions for another grand. Things are slightly more forgiving elsewhere: average one-bedroom rents are about $3,605 in Queens and $3,082 in Brooklyn, according to Apartments.com data cited by Business Insider.
Nike says the race is bringing together runners and members of New York’s sportswear and creative communities to settle the very scientific question: Who runs NYC? The event will also feature DJ sets from DJ MohoGany and DJ Sky Jetta, with Mikey Phelps serving as MC.
Participants must be at least 18 years old, live in the U.S. and be available on race day. Nike footwear is “highly suggested,” although the company says runners of all fitness levels are welcome. Bathrooms and bag check will be available on site.
There is one problem for anyone who just discovered a latent Olympic-level sprinting talent while reading this: Signing up doesn't guarantee a spot. Participants are being selected by random draw and will receive confirmation and race-day details directly from Nike.
For everyone else, there’s always the option of showing up to watch some New Yorkers run like their landlord is chasing them.