New York Road Runners Leader Resigns Amid Diversity Complaints

NEW YORK CITY — One of the New York City Marathon's main organizers soon will cross the finish line.

Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners, announced Monday he will step down from his role after a 10-year run.

His resignation takes effect Dec. 31 and follows complaints from employees that the organization, among other things, failed to address concerns about diversity and racism.

Those concerns were obliquely acknowledged in a statement from George Hirsch, who chairs the group's board.

“Over the past several months, the Board of Directors has listened to the concerns raised and recommendations offered by the community NYRR serves, including its employees and members of the broader running community," he said in the statement. "In order to achieve our mission to help and inspire people through running, we will recruit new leadership to the organization.”

Kerin Hempel, who previously worked with the group, will serve as interim CEO, according to a release.

A group of anonymous current and former Road Runners employees over the summer released a letter harshly criticizing Capiraso.

"We are seeing an erosion of the very values we thought NYRR was built on," the letter states. "These values are replaced with a toxic, discriminatory, and racist work culture that Mr. Capiraso continues to foster. Moreover these practices continue to go unacknowledged while there is an increasingly for-profit and performative focus on diversity that threatens our wellbeing, our work, our service, and our standing with the New York City running community."

The letter outlined accusations that Black and other employees outside "the clear culture of White dominance" atop the organization faced discrimination, pay disparities and other problems.

It accused Capiraso of presiding over a toxic work culture and raised concerns about financial mismanagement.

The anonymous employees applauded Capiraso's impending departure in a statement posted on Instagram.

"Our voices made a difference," it states. "In the coming weeks, your courage and advocacy will be paramount to Rebuilding NYRR to reflect all of us."

Capiraso, in a statement, said he was grateful for the opportunity to lead the New York Road Runners.

"I am proud of the growth the organization and I have achieved and the impact we have had, and I wish NYRR continued success,” he said.