Yonkers marathon
The Yonkers Marathon is a marathon that usually takes place in Yonkers on the third Sunday in September . After the Boston Marathon, it is the second-oldest marathon that has been held regularly to the present day and, with 89 events (as of September 4, 2015), it is also the second most popular marathon event worldwide.
route
The Yonkers Marathon is currently a two-way circuit from Yonkers (start and finish) along the Hudson River north to Hastings-on-Hudson , then on a main road back and beyond Yonkers to the city limits of New York City , where the Route northwards again to the starting point. Since the introduction of two laps, a half marathon has also been offered.
The route is very hilly and has a height difference of almost 150 meters per lap (300 meters for the marathon). With the exception of a few kilometers along the Hudson River, the route runs exclusively through monotonous housing developments and extensive industrial zones. The run will be held on public roads that are not closed to traffic. This route characteristic is partly responsible for the fact that the run currently only reports approximately 200 participants.
history
Between 1900 and 1910, Yonkers was an up-and-coming immigrant metropolis on the northern border of New York City. The immigrants, who come almost exclusively from Europe, founded a large number of sports clubs in order to present themselves in traditional ties with their homeland. The Mercury Athletic Club consisted mostly of running enthusiasts. With the help of the Yonkers Daily News , the club hosted the first Yonkers marathon on Thanksgiving Day , November 28, 1907. Until 1945, with a few exceptions, Thanksgiving was the day of the marathon. The first winner in 1907 was John Hayes , who a year later would win the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London .
The second run in 1908 already had 145 participants, almost half of whom reached the finish and were cheered by 20,000 spectators, some of whom jumped around between the runners, which led to chaotic conditions. This unexpectedly great success meant that at times the marathon was viewed as an entertainment event.
On January 1, 1909, the Yonkers Amusement Company hosted its own marathon on the route of the Yonkers Marathon, which became a debacle. In this run, which the organizers of the Yonkers Marathon did not count as part of the series of events, 10,000 spectators along the route cheered their respective favorites enthusiastically, while they entered the open route. The police tried to sort the mess but made no distinction between spectators and officials who ultimately lost control of the race. After 7 runners had crossed the finish line, the run was finally canceled. The run had one more curiosity to offer. That are considered as the winner Robert Fowler is up to the present by the International Athletics Federation, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in a list of world best with his winning time of 2: out 45.4 as in the meantime the world's best marathon runners: 52nd However, there are concerns as to whether the run actually increased the usual 26- mile route length by 385 yards .
From 1910 to 1917 the route was shortened to 25 miles (40 km). From 1918 to 1934 the Yonkers marathon was not run. It was not until 1935 that the run was resumed with the standard length of a marathon of 42.195 km and has been carried out to the present day. The only exception was the event scheduled for September 16, 2001, which was canceled due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 five days earlier .
From 1955 to 1960, the route was changed slightly and it was subsequently determined that the route was almost 200 meters too short.
In 1970 the first woman took part in the Yonkers Marathon, which was only unofficially rated because of the general starting ban for women. Since 1972 the run has been officially open to women.
From 1938 to 1966, the Yonkers Marathon was the uninterrupted venue for the official US Marathon Championships, with the 1948 run bearing the name of the event, but being held in Queens . With another championship run in 1974, the Yonkers Marathon is the most popular championship event in the United States, with 30 championship runs.
The Yonkers Marathon of 1947, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 was each a qualification run to determine the US participants in the US Olympic Trials.
particularities
- The race scheduled for Thanksgiving 1912 was postponed to May 1913 due to bad weather. The regular run in November 1913 was therefore shortened to 15 miles (24 km).
- A runner from New York City holds the record of most frequent participations with 44 runs.
- In 1985 each participant was given a t-shirt with the imprint: "You haven't run a marathon until you run Yonkers" (You haven't run a marathon until you have run the Yonkers.)
- In 1999, the only elite runner took part in the event. The winner of the New York City Marathon 1997 and 1998, John Kagwe , ran the half marathon in preparation for the 1999 run at the Yonkers Marathon and won in 1:04 hours with a course record that is still valid today.
statistics
Course records
- Men: 2: 18: 52.8, Ron Wayne ( USA ), 1974
- Women: 2:52:38, Janice Arenz ( USA ), 1981
Most wins
- Men: 8 wins John J. Kelley ( USA ), 1956–1963
- Women: 7 wins Nina Kuscsik ( USA ), 1970 (io), 1972–1974, 1977–1979
Winners list
Given the importance of the event in the early years and with regard to the national championships up to 1966, the list of winners contains numerous top US runners. According to this, the winners are mainly local and regional runners.
The complete list of winners can be found on the ARRS website.