FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 19, 2021
The Downtown Yakima Mile left a significant impression on both the running community and the local community when it was first held in 2019. Community members raced down the road, many setting new Personal Records. Heather Kampf, one of the elite racers who attended the race in 2019 said, “As a connoisseur of road miles, the Yakima Mile is amongst the very best I have ever experienced.”
This year the elite women’s field is stacked. Therese Haiss, winner of the 2019 Downtown Yakima Mile, will be returning. Along with Hass, UW alumni Eleanor Fulton, Olympian and UW alumni Amy-Eloise Markovc, Pasco native Marrisa Howard, and an entire slew of other NCAA champions, US Champions and Olympians.
The first-place runner in the Women’s Elite Mile race will take home $5000. Additionally, the winner could earn an additional $5000 bonuses: one for setting the fastest mile on Washington State soil (4:16.85) and another if she runs under the fastest mile on Washington State soil (4:16.85) which also happens to be the American Record.
There’s no better place to run these blistering fast times than at the Downtown Yakima Mile. The mile course traverses a straight shot along a downhill portion of Yakima Ave. The race finishes between 2nd and 3rd street where spectators gather along the finish line to cheer the runners across the finish line.
We’ve got big plans in 2021 as we work to make Yakima a premier competitive running destination. This year race proceeds benefit the YWCA and its mission. Like most non-profit organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for services from the YWCA greatly increased (by more than 30% last year!) but financial support has not. In 2020 alone, the YWCA touched 13,000 people here in the valley. The 24-hour domestic violence emergency shelter provided 8,000+ bed nights, and the crisis hotline averaged 25 phone calls a day.
Hogback Development Company, who produces The Downtown Yakima Mile, seeks to shed light on the invaluable services that the YWCA Yakima provides in hopes that the community will also join in the effort to end domestic violence in our community by participating in the event.
YWCA Yakima is the largest provider of domestic violence services in Yakima County and provides the only shelter of its kind in the City of Yakima, operating 24/7. In addition, YWCA Yakima offers the first affordable housing specific to families who are homeless as the result of domestic violence. Crisis housing and legal advocacy is also provided to those in need.
By participating in the Downtown Yakima Mile, the community can provide the YWCA with the resources to help every family in need. We encourage you to learn more about the life-saving services provided by the Yakima YWCA at ywcayakima.org.