Yonkers Marathon Weekend Held October 22-23

From the Yonkers Marathon:

YONKERS, NY - The 91st Yonkers Marathon is now part of a Yonkers Marathon Weekend of festivities. The two-day celebration features three new events on Saturday, October 22, and the full marathon, half marathon and 5K on Sunday, October 23. Yonkers teachers and students will receive a 15% discount on any event, and corporate and college teams of four will receive a 20% discount for the 5K Mud Run Obstacle Course and SuperHeroes 5K. Registration for all races is open at TheYonkersMarathon.com. More information at info@theyonkersmarathon.com / 518-782-2377.

One popular addition this year is Yonkers 5K Mud Run Obstacle Course, building on the trend of extreme events like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, and Warrior Dash. New Race Director Tom Cronin, also the owner of Wilderness Survival Games, will transform Yonkers’ bucolic Trevor Park into 3.1 mile gauntlet of twelve military-technique obstacles including climbing a 12' foot high tower, doing the army crawl under faux barbed wire in knee deep mud, and jumping over a fire pit at the finish line.

The Yonkers Marathon, unlike its closest neighbor—the New York City Marathon, is predominately run and won by locals. In 2015, Matt Collins, 25, of Manhattan won the 90th annual Yonkers Marathon in 2:44.37. Patrice Kentner, 53, of Pelham won on the women's side, for the second time, in 3:37.08.

But what the Yonkers Marathon is most known for is hills. Race Director Cronin has dubbed it the “Toughest Marathon in the East.” The course tours hilly terrain in Yonkers and Hastings-on-Hudson, with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain and another 1,000 feet of loss. Marathon legend John Kelley called it a “marathoner’s marathon,” and New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow cited it as one his favorite marathons, stating, “You haven’t run a marathon until you’ve run Yonkers.”

“Challenging, dramatic, terrific,” are words that Dr. Norbert Sander, Hastings resident and the visionary behind transforming the Armory in Washington Heights into a sanctuary for track and field, uses to describe the Yonkers Marathon. “Yonkers has a wonderful history of running,” reflects Sander, who grew up in Yonkers. “There was a Schoolboy’s Race in Yonkers since 1908—it started the year after the Yonkers Marathon. I ran it every year when I was growing up, and I’ve never been as nervous at any start line since,” says Sander, who won the Yonkers Marathon in 1973, and the New York City Marathon in 1974. “It’s good to see the Yonkers Marathon rejuvenated.”

An article about the history of the Yonkers Marathon, for which Dr. Sander was interviewed, will be featured in the November 2016 issue of Runner’s World magazine.

The Yonkers Marathon Weekend schedule:

Saturday, October 22

· 2K Family Superhero Walk/Run - 9:00 am - Trevor Park on Warburton Ave.

· SuperHeroes 5K - 10:00 am - Trevor Park on Warburton Ave.

· 5K Mud Run Obstacle Course - 12:00 noon - Trevor Park on Warburton Ave.

· Awards Ceremony - 3:00 pm - Trevor Park on Warburton Ave.

· Expo and After Party - 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Yonkers Brewing Company and Larkin Plaza

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Sunday, October 23

· Yonkers Marathon - 8:00 am - 1 Larkin Plaza

· Half-Marathon - 8:00 am - 1 Larkin Plaza

· 5K Run - 8:15 am - 1 Larkin Plaza

· Awards Ceremony - 11:00 am - Larkin Plaza

· Expo and After Party - 11:30 am - 2:00 pm - Yonkers Brewing Company and Larkin Plaza

Image via Shutterstock.