Lindsey Scherf, pictured here following her world-record run in 2018 Armory NYC Indoor Marathon World Record Challenge, returns to The Armory next month for a World Record attempt in the 50K. Photo by John Nepolitan
This event will be tough. Lindsey Scherf could get quite close to this world record, it should be exciting to see. The event is being held as a fundraiser for the Armory Foundation. The NB Armory is a positive sanctuary for the sport.
We support this event!
NEW YORK, NY, October 20, 2020 – The Armory Foundation and Lindsey Scherf, a professional distance runner and the women’s world record-holder in the indoor marathon, announced she will attempt to break the women’s world record in the 50-kilometer event at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center.
The current world record at this distance is 3:07:20, set by British runner Aly Dixon in 2019. The record attempt will start at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 5th and will take place on The Armory’s famed 200-meter banked track. A live broadcast of the run will be available on RunnerSpace.com, accessible via ArmoryTrack.com.
Scherf’s record attempt will be a fundraiser for the nonprofit Armory Foundation, the organization that provides a wide variety of educational and athletic programming to New York City children from underserved communities.
“The events that have taken place over the past year have brought to our attention the unjust suffering faced by those born into poverty,” said Scherf, who is from nearby Scarsdale, NY. “I don’t want to merely break a record, but in doing so, I want to shed some light on the good work being done in the New York City community by The Armory Foundation.”
At Harvard University, Scherf was a three-time NCAA All-American where she set American junior records in the 10,000m and the indoor 5,000m. She transitioned to longer distances after graduation, winning the US 25k Championships in 2015, and placing second in the 2016 Honolulu Marathon. In 2018, she won the Armory NYC Indoor Marathon World Record Challenge with a women’s world record time of 2:40:55 that stands today.
Scherf’s indoor marathon experience is valuable as she attempts the record at a longer distance. In order to break the record, she will need to complete a staggering 250 laps of The Armory’s 200-meter oval, while averaging a pace of 6:04 per mile or faster.
“My goal in doing the world record attempt is to take on a big challenge and put every ounce of my abilities into achieving it, while raising as much attention and support as possible for a very important cause,” Scherf said. “I want to be the strong, female role model that I wish I had in my life as a young girl.”
She currently is a member of coach and founder Mike Barnow’s Westchester Track Club.
After the record attempt, Scherf plans to begin a new chapter in her life as she aims to become a member of the National Guard. She will be training as an Infantry Officer with the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry regiment, which is headquartered in Manhattan. Scherf’s goal is to attend Army Ranger School, which opened to women in 2015.
The Armory Foundation operates the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, which has placed 100 percent of its high school seniors into four-year colleges for four consecutive years, along with CityTrackand Little Feet, which provide free introductory track and field lessons to local elementary school children
For more information about this fundraising effort please go to: armory.tf/50kworldrecord or https://www.gofundme.com/f/
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About The Armory Foundation
The Armory Foundation is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of “Keeping Kids on Track.” Each season The Armory – the proud home of the Millrose Games – hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 athlete visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meet with the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge, and also hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with this past year’s 26th U. S. Air Force Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, New Balance Nationals Indoor, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame and Holiday Classic. The Armory runs the Columbia & NewYork – Presbyteran Indoor Marathon presented by New York Road Runners, which is the world’s largest indoor marathon relay. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and dozens of very large education-focused events. For more: Please visit Armory.NYC and ArmoryTra