Winner John Reynolds (number 6) lining up with other runners in 1910Jim Crowley, the winner in 1908
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.
The first Yonkers Marathon was held on Thanksgiving Day 1907.[3]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]
The race has averaged roughly 200 finishers during the 2010s, double the number from the prior decade.[11] The 2015 (90th anniversary) course was USA Track & Field certified and served as a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.[12]
The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants automatically receiving refunds.[13][14]
The 2022 edition saw 101 finishers and Juan Fernandez De Cordova won the event in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 3 seconds.
In 2023, 80 runners finished, led by Scottie Mitchell among the men with a time of 2 hours, 38 minutes and 48 seconds and Christine Honor among the women with 3 hours, 38 minutes and 56 seconds.[15] The race in 2024 was completed by 166 competitors. Julio Sauce was the fastest man with a time of 2 hours, 59 minutes and 30 seconds while Cathrine Levine led the women with 3 hours, 22 minutes and 7 seconds.[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.[18] 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 through 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.[19][12] In 2016, the course reverted back to the double-loop.[20][21]
↑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
12Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Yonkers Marathon. Retrieved May 15, 2010
↑Sullivan, J.E., ed. (1910), "Marathon Road Races", Spalding's Official Athletic Almanac for 1910, vol.Group XII. No. 1, New York: American Sports Publishing Co., p.93
↑"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.
↑"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.
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