Since 2009, The 7 Line has strived to bring Mets fans together from all over the New York City area.
From their bright orange shirts to their signature chants, The 7 Line—an apparel company—has become a staple of the Mets and Citi Field experience. For the first time, it is extending its outreach beyond just Mets games into the community.
Darren Meenan, the founder of the fan organization, found a love for running this past offseason and was determined to find a way to combine his love of the Mets with his newfound passion for running.
“Last November, I ran a turkey trot, and I wasn’t even sure if I could run the three
miles,” Meenan said. “But when I got through three miles, I was like, ‘Wow, I really like this,’ so I kind of got the running bug really quickly.
“So I signed up for a race on New Year’s Eve in Flushing Meadows Park. Since there were no leaves on the trees, I could see Citi Field. That got my wheels spinning, and within two weeks, I had the 7 line 7k already in the works.”
The 7 Line 7k is set to take place on Sunday. Sept. 22, which consists of over 1,700 runners, all running to raise money for the Amazin Mets Foundation. It will start in the heart of Flushing Meadows Park and will end in the parking lot of Citi Field.
The race isn’t your everyday race, however, as the 7 Line 7k consists of the Mookie Mile. The Mookie Mile, named for former Met Mookie Wilson.
“Mile two of the race is called the Mookie Mile,” Meenan said. “So there will be a mat on the ground, and everyone has their bib, and in everyone’s bib is a transponder. So once you
pass into the second mile, whoever runs the fastest mile will get a Mookie Wilson jersey. The jersey will have a patch on the shoulder that says ‘Mookie Mile winner 2024.’ Because Mookie Wilson is one of the sponsors of the event.”
Proceeds raised from the race will go to the Amazin Mets Foundation. The foundation is
led by Alex Cohen, the wife of Mets owner Steve Cohen. Meenan expressed his excitement about
raising money for the charity.
“They’ve been doing a lot for the community,” Meenan said. “Some of the people from the foundation are going to run. Mr. Met is going to be there at the start which is very exciting.”
Following the race, the runners will celebrate their accomplishments at the race by tailgating outside Citi Field before the Mets take on the Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball in the Mets’ final home game of the regular season.
However, this wasn’t always the plan, as the race, which was originally set to be in July, was moved to its current date due to weather. Which means that runners are in for a lengthy tailgate.
“It kind of worked out,” Meenan said. “Now that the Mets are still in it and there’s so
much excitement around the team. Unfortunately, with ESPN having the ability to change the
time of games, the game was gonna be at 1, and the race is at 8:30. We were going to do the race, do the award ceremony, and then walk right into the game. So the tailgate is going to be very long. People will be so jacked up if we run this race, we go to the game, everyone’s wearing their finishing medal and we get to watch the Mets.”
For more on the 7 Line and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
by Max Edelman
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