New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that organizes more than 60 annual adult and youth races across New York City along with free year-round community programs, is celebrating a Sports Emmy Award win for its documentary short Final Finishers.
The film won Outstanding Sports Documentary Short at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, held Tuesday night at Lincoln Center. It marks the first Sports Emmy Award for NYRR and its in-house content studio, East 89th Street Productions, which focuses on storytelling from within the running community.
East 89th Street Productions launched Final Finishers in partnership with Tribeca Studios. The studio also released the documentary short 26.2 last year and has additional projects in development.
“This recognition is an extraordinary honor for New York Road Runners and a powerful validation of our commitment to telling stories that reflect the full spectrum of the running experience,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, chief executive officer of New York Road Runners. “‘Final Finishers’ embodies our belief in the power of every step to transform lives by shining a light on runners whose courage, determination and humanity inspire us all. We are grateful to the academy and to everyone who helped bring this project to life, and we are proud to see these athletes and their stories celebrated on one of the biggest stages in sports media.”
Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez, Final Finishers follows runners who complete races toward the back of the pack, including the TCS New York City Marathon, highlighting endurance, emotion and community against the backdrop of the city.
The film premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and was produced and distributed with Tribeca Studios, the content arm of Tribeca Enterprises. It is currently streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+.
NYRR chief executive officer Rob Simmelkjaer said the recognition reflects the organization’s focus on capturing the full range of the running experience, including stories of resilience and determination across all levels of competition.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for this recognition for a film that, at its heart, is about humanity, resilience and what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other,” said Valdez. “This project was made possible by the extraordinary runners who shared their stories and by the incredible partnership and support from New York Road Runners and Tribeca Studios. I’m honored that these inspiring runners are being celebrated on this stage.”
The project centers on human perseverance and the meaning of continuing forward, crediting participating runners and the collaboration between NYRR and Tribeca Studios.
East 89th Street Productions plans to expand its slate of original storytelling projects focused on running culture and community.
