Yonkers Marathon

The Yonkers Marathon, is a marathon race held annually in Yonkers, New York. Founded in 1907, it is the second oldest marathon in the United States, after the Boston Marathon. It is held on the third Sunday in October. In addition to the marathon, there is a half marathon race and a 5K course. At the end of the race there is a gathering and festivities centered on Van de Donck Park.

Yonkers Marathon
DateSeptember or October
LocationYonkers, New York, U.S.
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
Established1907 (1907)[1]
Official sitehttps://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Yonkers/YonkersMarathonHalfMarathon5K
Participants103 finishers (2019)[2]
Winner John Reynolds (number 6) lining up with other runners in 1910
Jim Crowley, the winner in 1908

History

The first Yonkers Marathon was held on Thanksgiving Day 1907.[3] From 1907 to 1945, the race was typically held in November.[1] Johnny Hayes and Jim Crowley won the first two races.[1][4][nb 1] Sammy Mellor helped establish the Yonkers Marathon with Edward Wetmore Kinsley, and finished second in the event's first two runnings.[4][7][8] In 1909 the race was sponsored by the Mercury Athletic Club.[9]

From 1938 to 1965, and again in 1974, the Yonkers Marathon was recognised by the Amateur Athletic Union as the USA Marathon Championships,[10] and in relevant years as a qualifying event for the US Olympic team.[11]

The race has averaged roughly 200 finishers during the 2010s, double the number from the prior decade.[12] The 2015 (90th anniversary) course was USA Track & Field certified and served as a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.[13]

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants automatically receiving refunds.[14][15]

Course
External image
Course map of full marathon in 2017[16]

The double-loop course of the Yonkers Marathon has been known as being tough and hilly; New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow cited it as one of his favorite marathons.[17] For its 90th running in 2015 the track had a newly designed course that added greater variety by eliminating the double-loop, and replacing it with a single-loop that followed a scenic route along the Hudson River, and then all over the city, past parks, past the Dunwoodie Golf Course (offering a glimpse of the distant New York City skyline), and through a variety of neighborhoods.[18][13] In 2016 the course reverted to the double-loop.[19][20]

Notes
  1. Some references incorrectly state that Robert Fowler broke Johnny Hayes' world best in the marathon at the 1909 Yonkers Marathon. Fowler's mark was actually set at the Empire City Marathon on January 1, 1909.[5][6]

References
  1. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Yonkers Marathon. Retrieved May 15, 2010
  2. https://archive.is/9cZha
  3. Cooper, Pamela (1999). "The New York City Marathon Culture". The American Marathon. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-8156-0573-7.
  4. "J.F. CROWLEY WINS YONKERS MARATHON; Irish-American Runner Leads Big Field Over Westchester County Roads.", New York Times, p. 7, November 27, 1908, retrieved May 15, 2010
  5. "POLICE BREAK UP YONKERS MARATHON; Order Official Off Track and Referee Sullivan Stops the Contest.", New York Times, p. 7, January 2, 1909, retrieved May 15, 2010
  6. Sullivan, J.E., ed. (1910), "Marathon Road Races", Spalding's Official Athletic Almanac for 1910, Group XII. No. 1, New York: American Sports Publishing Co., p. 93
  7. "Samuel Mellor Marathoner". www.yonkersny.gov. Yonkers, New York: City of Yonkers. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  8. "Edward Wetmore Kinsley". www.yonkersny.gov. Yonkers, New York: City of Yonkers. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  9. "MARATHON VICTORY FOR HARRY JENSEN; Finishes First in Yonkers Event With a Half Mile Advantage. SHERIDAN RUNS SECOND Leads for Twenty-three Miles, When Pastime Athlete Overhauls Him -- Winner's Time, 2:46:43 1-5" (pdf). The New York Times. New York. November 28, 1909. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  10. USA Champions Men's Marathon. USATF. Retrieved on 2014-07-08
  11. Hymans, Richard (2008), The History of the United States Olympic Trials (PDF), USA Track & Field, retrieved 17 May 2016
  12. http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=1055080921
  13. Aris, Hezi. "City of Yonkers Celebrates 90th Running of Yonkers Marathon Sunday, October 18, 2015". Yonkers Tribune. August 18, 2015
  14. https://web.archive.org/web/20201012003450/https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Yonkers/YonkersMarathonHalfMarathon5K
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20201012004236/https://bronx.news12.com/tour-de-yonkers-yonkers-arts-weekend-and-yonkers-marathon-canceled-this-year-42532281
  16. https://web.archive.org/web/20170904044713/http://www.yonkersny.gov/play/yonkers-marathon
  17. Corbitt, Ted (2003). "Ted Corbitt: A Willingness to Suffer". In Kislevitz, Gail Waesche (ed.). The Spirit of the Marathon: What to Expect in Your First Marathon and How to Run Them the Rest of Your Life. Halcottsville, New York: Breakaway Books. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-891369-36-0.
  18. Official website
  19. "Yonkers Marathon Map". Yonkers Marathon. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  20. "Albany firm to oversee Yonkers Marathon race weekend". lohud.com. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
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