The Yonkers Marathon, held in Yonkers, New York, is the second oldest marathon in the United States, after the Boston Marathon. The course of the Yonkers Marathon is known as being tough and hilly.
The Yonkers marathon (the standard distance, 42.195 km) is typically held on the third Sunday in September. It is a double loop course which also stages a half marathon (21.1 km). It was initially sponsored by the Mercury Athletic Club.
The first few kilometers (or miles) of the race are very scenic, overlooking the Hudson River. However, the majority of the race is in urban industrial areas that are less than aesthetically pleasing.
Every year approximately 200 runners participate in the Yonkers marathon.
The first Yonkers Marathon was held on Thanksgiving Day 1907. From 1907 to 1945, the race was typically held in November. Johnny Hayes and Jim Crowley won the first two races.
Sammy Mellor helped establish the Yonkers Marathon with Edward Wetmore Kinsley, and finished second in the event's first two runnings.
Famous quotes containing the word marathon:
“The mountains look on Marathon—
And Marathon looks on the sea;
And musing there an hour alone,
I dreamed that Greece might still be free;
For standing on the Persians’ grave,
I could not deem myself a slave.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)