CPTC results from the Queens 10k since 1994

The Queens 10k has changed quite a lot in the past 25 years, adjusting its date and distance frequently. For one, it wasn’t a 10k for most of it’s existence. The race that has become the Queens 10k, began in 1994 as a Half Marathon in April (Brooklyn was in March at the time) on a course in College Pointe. If anyone knows the exact route from back then, let me know, but I did find a description of the Half course from the 2011 event here. The race moved to May for the 2003-2005 editions before switching to September in 2007 and to July (that must’ve been fun in the heat) in 2010. After 18 years as a Half Marathon, the race switched to a 10k event in 2012. In 2014, the race moved to it’s current timing in June and although a 5k event was added for one year in 2016, the event has remained a 10k that loops around Flushing Meadows Corona Park and I would be surprised if that changed much in the foreseeable future.

With the distance and time of year moving about so much (along with it not being a Club points race until recently), CPTC did not have large numbers at the race until the last three years which had over 60 CPTC’er racing each year. I ran the race for the first (and so far only time) in 2018. I really enjoyed the course which offers a much flatter (and a bit more winding) alternative to the common Central Park loop. The largest “hills” are really just overpasses that loop over some of the roads and there are nice long stretches where you can really open up your stride (or fall asleep if you’re are not careful). Living in Manhattan in 2018, non-Central Park or Manhattan races provided a great opportunity for me to explore some areas of the city that I did not get to as frequently. Corona Park is really a lovely place to run with crisscrossing paths and flat open terrain. The one caveat keeping Queens 10k from being a blazing fast race, is that it is often run in blazing heat or humidity towards the end of June. Additionally, the timing of the race often comes when runners are not at peak fitness. Many year round runners have had a spring season with a peak race in April or May and haven’t necessarily ramped back up to 100%. The upside of the timing is if you had a rough spring or are looking to extend your fitness into the summer, Queens offers an opportunity to finisher higher place-wise than you might in other races (as long as you can handle the heat). Although that is becoming less of the case as the race rises in popularity.

Even with the less than ideal timing, the race has grown dramatically since becoming a 10k in 2012. That year 5,460 runners completed the race and by 2019 that had more than doubled to 11,853. And while this year there were zero participants due to COVID-19, I would not be surprised to see the event grow larger since the open space and roadways of Flushing Meadows and Corona Park should be able to hold more participants. The race itself has gotten faster as it has expanded. In 2017, the race replaced two other June races (Retro 4M and LGBT Pride 5M) in the NYRR Club Series and times at the front of the race have dropped quickly since that shift. The 100th place finisher in 2012 ran 41:38 and in 2019 that had dropped to 36:11. That 36:11 would have placed you in the top 20 each year from 2012-2015, so the Club points are definitely creating a much more competitive race at the front.

While the race has only counted for points recently, CPTC has had solid showings at the race this decade. NYRR only scored three teams (and no age-based teams) pre 2016 (since it wasn’t a Club race). The Women’s Open team did not crack the top three until 2018 when they took 2nd, but followed that up with a 3rd place finish in 2019. The Men’s Open team has finished either 2nd or 3rd in 2012-2015 & 2017-2018, but neither team has broken through with a win. The Master’s teams have been more successful with the Women’s 40+ and 70+ winning in 2019 and the Men’s 50+ team winning in both 2018 & 2019.