Rob Simmelkjaer is CEO of New York Road Runners (NYYR), the non-profit organization that “runs” one of the world’s largest marathons. This enormously successful event will be held this year on November 2nd and has received record-breaking demand with more than 200,000 athletes from 150 countries applying to run. Getting into one of the world’s largest marathons is hard, but more than 50,000 runners – from the world’s best professional and Olympic athletes to a vast range of runners across all experience levels and backgrounds – will compete across all five boroughs in a day that many consider to be The Best Day of the Year in the Best City in the World.
The New York Road Runners’ vision is not just to manage a world-class sports event, but to build healthier lives and a stronger community through the transformative power of running. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, in addition to its marquee event. As a non-profit, it serves nearly a half million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs. Also, through the TCS New York City Marathon’s Official Charity Partner Program, athletes have raised almost $600 million for over 1,000 worthy causes; in 2025, more than 600 charities are participating.
During Rob’s tenure at New York Road Runners, the organization has experienced a large running boom with nearly every race it hosts selling out at a record pace. To continue its growth, Rob began expanding the organization’s free community programming, forming partnerships with New York City Public Schools to create middle school running teams, elevating the non-profit’s sustainability efforts by launching its NYRR Team for Climate program, highlighting the mental health benefits of running by debuting the NYRR Mindful 5K race during Mental Health Awareness Month and inspiring action among the community with a new in-house content studio dedicated to bringing the power of running to life.
Rob was formerly a Senior Vice President of NBC Sports Ventures where he was responsible for leading international business development for the NBC Sports Group. Prior to NBC, he was Assistant to the President of ESPN where he assisted in strategic direction, programming and acquisitions with primary responsibility for the launch of a 6-year programming agreement between ESPN/ABC and the NBA. He was then appointed Chairman of the Board of the Connecticut Lottery Corp. by Governor Lamont. In addition to his executive roles, Rob has served as an on-air contributor for ESPN, ABC News, and all NBC platforms including NBC Sports, MSNBC (where he anchored coverage of the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics), CNBC and the Tennis Channel.
Rob is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. At Dartmouth, he anchored Dartmouth Sports Radio for 4 years, as well as the school’s award-winning 1992 presidential election. He later practiced law in New York City at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and also at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He has two daughters who keep him very busy.