Bucket List: Run the Long Island Half Marathon
The Long Island Half Marathon, held this year on May 5, is just eight weeks away. Credit: Steven Ryan
Longtime competitive runner Maury Dean can still remember his reaction when he heard that the Long Island Marathon had added a new event: a 13.1-mile “half marathon” to go along with the existing 26.2-mile race.
“I thought it was a great idea,” recalled the Patchogue resident, now 81. “Runners love to run, but they don’t all necessarily want to go 26.2 miles. Now you had the opportunity to go half the distance and feel much of the same sense of satisfaction.”
Since its start in 1984, the Long Island Half Marathon — to be held this year on May 5 — has been popular, far outsizing the full marathon within a few years. Now part of the Jovia Long Island Marathon Weekend, the event also includes the 5k (3.1 miles) and the 10k (6.2 miles). But said race director Corey Roberts: “The half is the event with the largest participation of the weekend.”
The course starts and finishes in Eisenhower Park, taking runners past Nassau County’s Museum Row in Uniondale, the Hempstead Plains preserve and the Mitchel Athletic Complex, including a lap around the track that was built there for the Goodwill Games in 1998.
The race has had a reputation for being “boring,” especially during the years when much of it was held on Wantagh Parkway. Still, runners expecting to find thousands of cheering spectators or vistas of the Empire State Building are missing the point: It’s the Long Island Half Marathon. And so the charms are uniquely suburban.
For East Quogue’s Karen Cotty — the first female finisher in the 1991 half marathon — the benefits include things real Long Islanders care about.
Like parking.
“The Long Island Half is easy to get to,” Cotty, 60, said. “There’s plenty of parking and bathrooms in Eisenhower Park. You don’t have to travel. You can sleep in your own bed the night before the race. All positives.”
And all reasons why the Long Island Half should be on the bucket list of any Long Island runner — or any reasonably fit Long Islander looking for a challenge.
“It really brings the Long Island running community together,” said Dean. “After the race, you get to see everybody in Eisenhower Park. And when you’ve finished, you’re not beat up like after doing a full marathon, but you do feel like you’ve accomplished something.”
START TRAINING NOW
While it’s a lot easier than doing a full marathon, you can’t just roll out of bed and run 13.1 miles. Here are two popular training programs that can get you ready to run a half marathon in eight weeks:
- Hal Higdon running plan, bit.ly/3T2H1oS
- Halfmarathons. net, bit.ly/48DvIt6
COST
Registration for the Long Island Half is currently $119. Don’t wait to register! Prices go up the closer you get to race day. For registration info, visit runlongislandmarathon.com.
WHAT TO WEAR
The one essential piece of equipment for running is a good pair of shoes. Mike Keohane, a former Olympic Trials Marathoner who now coaches the Front Runners New York running club, recommends visiting a running apparel store to find a pair that’s right for you. “Getting fitted for the best shoe for your running style will help immensely in your training build-up,” he said.
BRING YOUR FRIENDS
On race day, share your achievement with your loved ones. Eisenhower Park affords multiple viewing (and cheering!) opportunities. “Friends and family can come into the park with you, watch you start and finish, and during the race they can enjoy the park or see their loved ones at several points along the course,” Roberts said. A spectator guide can be found at bit.ly/3P2rYKS.
