LI Marathon To Return This Fall After Pandemic Paused It In 2020

NASSAU COUNTY, NY— Last week, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced the Long Island marathon will return this September after being paused in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many road races have been canceled in the pas year, but now with increased vaccinations, Curran said the race can be held safely again this fall.

Corey Roberts is the director of RaceAwesome, the racing company that is in charge of the marathon. He told Patch that he's "very excited Nassau County is committed to making it happen."

Roberts says with protocols in place a large event like this can safely happen. His company is currently managing races with staggered starts to maintain social distancing and says the fall marathon will also have staggered starts, but the exact numbers of runners that will start together is still to be determined.

Other details will continue to be finalized this spring and summer, like the total number of racers permitted, and if food trucks and an expo will be part of the event. RaceAwesome and Nassau County will be deciding based on how COVID case numbers and vaccination rates look as the date nears.

"Everyone so far is just so excited and grateful," for the return of a major event that has long been a staple of the Long Island running community, Roberts reflected. 2021 will be the 47th year of the marathon.

The route in and around Eisenhower Park has been updated from previous years.

"Happy to see this Nassau tradition is back on track with a new route that will showcase more of Eisenhower Park, Mitchel Field, Museum Row and utilize many new pedestrian bike paths," Curran said in a Facebook announcement.