Australian Jared Mills dominates first Marathon by GFNY Endurance Sports Series

Last Sunday, October 24 marked the inaugural running event from GFNY Endurance Sports Series with GFNY Marathon Florida Sebring. 

The race couldn’t have started on more symbolic grounds than on the historic Sebring International Raceway, the “birthplace of endurance sports in America”.  The illuminated race track just before dawn served under ideal conditions: cloudy and 70 degrees. Runners were able to choose from a  USATF-certified GFNY Marathon or Half Marathon course as well as the Sebring 4.2-mile fun run around the Sebring International Raceway. 

As it is customary in GFNY, all runners wore the official GFNY Race Singlet. Made of high end fabrics and with latest cuts, the ultralight garment took the GFNY Team eight months to develop. No stones were left unturned to make sure no runner had to deal with any unpleasant surprises in the race.

Australian Jared Mills, who currently lives in Colombia, dominated the marathon and took the win in 2:45:13. The podium was rounded out by two Floridians, Steven Wilcox and Leland Swenson, who finished second (3:08:21) and third (3:09:59) respectively. 

In the women’s competition, American Alexis Dwyer took the win in 3:43:33, followed by Panamanian Vanessa Alessan Campiolo and Giselle Lasso. 

“We’re proud to have our first marathon under our belt” says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “This is just the beginning of many more marathons in beautiful and fun locations, for locals and travelling runners alike, with the same high standards that cyclists have come to appreciate.”

More GFNY Marathons in 2022 will be announced shortly. In the meantime, GFNY Endurance Sports Series will stay in Sebring for the second annual GFNY Florida Sebring cycling race this Sunday, October 31.

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Florida Marathon video: here

GFNY Press Images: here 

GFNY Results: here

GFNY World calendar graphic: here

Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

GFNY expands its US race calendar with GFNY Waco in the Deep South on June 26, 2022

GFNY Waco is the latest addition to the GFNY Endurance Sports Series, making it the fourth GFNY cycling race in the United States.  Scheduled for June 26, 2022, riders will get to ride a 86-mile double-looped course on open county roads passing farmland, cattle ranches and dairies.

From a gentle start, the effort will go up a notch as riders tackle a 2-mile-long hill just before entering the 35-mile loop. The loop has some flat sections for fast peloton riding, and also gently rolling hills that will break up the pelotons.

Located in the tranquil and scenic heartland of Texas, the host town of Waco will hold race week activities at the Waco Convention Center as well as function as the start and finish of the race. Waco is a city that’s brimming with Texas history, a rich variety of cultural experiences, and wonderful nature surroundings. 

The race starts and finishes on North University Parks Drive aside the Waco Convention Center. After traveling on the closed-to-cars University Parks Drive and crossing the Brazos River via the Herring Ave Bridge, you leave the City of Waco and enter McLennan County and its vast nature. 

Website: waco.gfny.com

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

GFNY Florida Marathon marks the first running event of the GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series this Sunday, October 24

GFNY Endurance Sports Series is back in the United States with the inaugural running event, GFNY Marathon Florida Sebring. The course is USATF certified and the flat and fast route makes it the perfect race for runners wanting to score a personal best. GFNY Marathon Florida also offers a half marathon distance and 4.2-mile fun run around the Raceway.

The course starts before dawn with a big loop under the bright floodlights of the Sebring International Raceway. The flat course is divided into three out-and-back legs, which provides a fantastic racer and spectator experience. With ample aid stations, music and cheer-on stations, the race is destined to be a party for runners. 

“It’s a natural step for us to bring GFNY also into running” says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme, “Both Lidia and I are lifelong runners, having run combined over 50 marathons. It’s always only been a matter of time for us when we would launch GFNY running and we’re excited it’s finally happening. GFNY Marathon Florida Sebring is the first of over many more marathons to come.”

Website: floridamarathon.gfny.com

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

Sunday’s GFNY Championship Europe was held in Montepulciano on tough course

GFNY was back on Italian soil with the GFNY Championship Europe at GFNY Italia last Sunday. The main challenge of the 101 km course with 1889m of climbing and gradients up to 20% were 26 km of “strade bianche” (white gravel road). The 5 km climb to the finish line ended with a steep 18% climb to the town market square of Montepulciano. No clouds in the sky and perfect racing temperatures made the Tuscan hills an oversized sports ground that has to be described as Disneyland for cyclists: hills, small and twisty roads, historic towns and villages – spettacolo!

32-year-old former Lampre and Vini Farnese pro Alfredo Balloni (IT) took the win in 2:59:15. His average of 33km/h shows the difficulty of the course. The all-Italian podium was rounded out by Alessio Lazzeri in second place, and Fabio Orcame in third. 

With his win, Balloni earned a fully paid trip to the GFNY World Championship in New York City on May 15, 2022 where he will be a hot contender for the win if he is in the lead group at the final climb up Dyckman Hill.

In the women’s race, Italian Chiara Turchi took the win in 03:38:15. Dutch Rochelle Verhagen came in second place with a time of 03:45:06, and Rachele Chisi (IT) rounded out the podium. Race favorite and 2019 GFNY NYC World Champion Jill Patterson (USA) led the race for a long time until two flats ended her day.

“Racing on strade bianche is something that any serious bike racer should experience at least once” says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “Given the good condition of the strade bianche – which are maintained as official local roads – this is far from a gravel race. It’s a road race with a twist. If you show up on a gravel bike, you’ll suffer more on the road sections than you gain on the strade bianche.”

GFNY Endurance Sports Series now returns to the United States with their inaugural running event GFNY Marathon Florida Sebring on this Sunday, October 24.

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

Authentic Italian gran fondo racing in the hills of Tuscany with GFNY Italia on October 17

GFNY Endurance Sports Series is back in Europe with the GFNY Championship Europe at GFNY Italia this Sunday, October 17, 2021. The host towns are Montepulciano and Torrita di Siena, located in spectacular Tuscany which is akin to a gigantic cycling stadium. GFNY Italia offers everything of a true Italian gran fondo, with the added thrill of “strade bianche” (white gravel roads) sectors. 

The course features 101 km of racing with 1889m of climbing over numerous hills and across four “strade bianche” sectors that run among the vineyards and olive groves of the Tuscan countryside.  The finish will be up an 18% climb to the town market square of Montepulciano.

“GFNY Italia is the perfect host for the 2021 GFNY Europe Championship”, says GFNY CEO Uli Fluhme. “At 101km the race may seem short but the relentless hills and 26km of strade bianche ensure that only the strongest prevail”.

Website: italia.gfny.com

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

Ecuadorian Jorge Carrenza takes the win after a fall with Patterson less than 3 minutes behind and in fifth overall

GFNY returned to Latin America for the third time this season with GFNY Ecuador Manta last Sunday. Over 700 cyclists rode the beautiful but challenging 143-kilometer long course that included 2034 meters of climbing, most of which was attacked in the Pacoche forest. 

Despite a crash and mechanical early in the race, Jorge Carranza caught up to his rivals and paired up with Corratec rider Daren Katsuno. Together, Carrenza and Katsuno dropped the lead peloton to finish in 03:59:14 in first and second place. Less than 2 minutes later, the all Ecuadorian podium was rounded out by John Fabricio Palma. 

In the women’s competition, the 2019 GFNY NYC World Champion Jill Patterson (USA) took the win in 04:02:05, just three minutes behind the men’s champ and in fifth place overall. Ecuadorians Daniela Zambrano and Angy Luna rounded out the podium.

Jorge Carranza punched his ticket for the GFNY World Championship in NYC in May 2022, where he will race a course that’s quite similar and can proove that he wasn’t a fluke. Meanwhile Jill Patterson will no doubt be the marked lady come May 15.

GFNY now heads back to Europe for a true Italian Gran Fondo: GFNY Italia Montepulciano-Torrita di Siena, featuring the spectacular “strade bianche” sectors in the Tuscan hills on October 17. 

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme, 

Florida’s Highlands County gaining sports tourism from hosting GFNY event

The inaugural GFNY Florida Sebring held on October 25, 2020 attracted 800 cyclists and their families to Highlands County, Florida and earned GFNY the Sports Tourism Award 2021. 

“The award recognizes GFNY’s dedication to sports tourism by consistently growing sports participation, increasing the promotion and marketability of Highlands County to visitors, and producing a series of sports tourism events that show a profound impact on the Highlands County economy through out-of-town visitation,” says Casey Wohl, the Lead Marketing Consultant for Visit Sebring/the Highlands County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

“We’re honored to receive this award because it recognizes the hard work we’re putting into creating not only world class events for participants but also events that directly benefit the host region”, says GFNY President Lidia Fluhme. 

In October 2021, GFNY will be back in Sebring and Highlands County to organize the second annual GFNY Florida on October 31. New for 2021, Sebring will also host GFNY’s  inaugural running marathon: GFNY Marathon Florida Sebring. The race is scheduled for October 24 and will give runners the option to race a full or half marathon and a fun run on and around the Sebring International Raceway.

Website: florida.gfny.com and floridamarathon.gfny.com

About GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series

GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series is a sports event company with three decades of experience in racing, planning and organizing events. The global endurance sports brand hosts multiple events throughout the year around the world on five continents.

Working with partners around the world to deliver a first-class experience, GFNY Global Endurance Sports Series puts their athletes first.

Cycling

20 plus events around the world. View the 2021-2022 calendar here

Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.

Top 10% (20% at regional championships) of finishers in each age group qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.

GFNY World Championship NYC

The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 15, 2022. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.

The official GFNY website is: www.gfny.com.

Further Material for Media Use

GFNY Press Images: here
GFNY World calendar graphic: here
Previous GFNY press releases: here

Media Contact

Gran Fondo New York Inc.
Jenna van der Heide, 
Uli Fluhme,