Kevin Montalvo (center) and marathon runners Catherine Chua and Charles
Jan. 30, 2017 Staff Report
On your marks!
Registration for the 2nd Annual Queens Marathon is now open, with the race scheduled to take place at 8:00 am on Sunday, March 26 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The event, which is being organized by the Queens Distance Runners, was the brain child of Jackson Heights native Kevin Montalvo, who founded the running organization in 2013.
Hundreds of men and women participated in the inaugural Queens Marathon in 2016, but this year organizers say they aim to recruit more than 1,000 runners.
“We would like to see this marathon become as large and diverse as the borough itself, and so we welcome everyone young and old, from every background to join us,” Montalvo said.
The course consists of five loops around Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which measures a total of 26.2 miles.
Participants who finish the marathon in under six hours will receive a medal for running in the event.
Click to enlarge
Additional awards will be given to the top three male and female runners overall. Awards will also be presented to the first three finishers in each of the following age groups: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70 and over.
All registrants will receive a Queens Marathon T-shirt, a microchipped bib that will record each participant’s time and distance, and an “It’s In Queens” care package sponsored by the Queens Tourism Council, full of giveaways, discounts and amenities centered around the borough and participating businesses.
People who want to participate can register here
A Queens Wide Experience
Montalvo said he has joined forces with a number of Queens business owners and organizations to help promote the event and the borough.
“We have partners that are going above and beyond to help us make the Queens Marathon a borough wide experience, such as Queens Center Mall, which is allowing us for the second straight year to host a packet pickup at the mall,” Montalvo said.
The packet pickup provides participants with the opportunity to pick up their race-day T-shirt and bibs before the day of the event. The pickup dates are expected to be on March 24th and 25th at a specific TBD time and location.
The Queens Marathon is certified by the USA Track & Field. Therefore, the event provides runners with the opportunity to quality for Boston marathon.
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