Marathon celebrates 51 years of racing
the last decade.
Over 4,000 runners participated in this year’s races.
Peter Purpura, vice president of business development at Jovia Financial Credit Union, said the race has served as a great way for the company to get to know the Long Island community.
“One of the interesting things about this race in particular is that over the weekend, we get to interact with so many of the runners, and it’s fascinating to find out why people are running,” he said at a preview news conference on April 29. “Some people are running because they’re getting over a broken heart or a broken bone — some of them are getting over sickness. Some of them are running for somebody who is sick. Some of them are just running to feel good and be part of the community.
“I think our partnership with this event is really relevant,” he added. “We’ve been in the community for 85 years now, serving our members, and they trust us for a variety of financial needs. Similar to the runners, they come to us with a number of different reasons, and some of them are good, some of them are bad. But no matter what, our staff is always looking to greet them and get them to their next mile.”
Friends of Karen, a nonprofit that supports critically ill children and their families, has had a team run in the 5K race for nearly 20 years. The team was formed by Evelyn Anderson, whose son Luke had leukemia, in order to give back to Friends of Karen which helped her family.
“That small team has morphed into a team that has close to 200 participants who run with Friends of Karen in a very bright, yellow singlet, to raise funds to continue support the families we help, especially those right here in Nassau County,” Leslie Bellissimo, the Long Island-New York Metro Regional Director said. “We are so grateful to Nassau County for inviting us back year after year to continue to be part of the marathon weekend, to help us spread awareness of our very special mission.”
Corey Roberts, the race’s organizer, offered his gratitude to Jovia and to PSEG, another sponsor of the event.
“Without these people, it’s hard to produce a race,” he said. “It’s even harder to provide a race if we don’t have the cooperation of the county and the county services. We’re really grateful.”
The 26.2-mile race began and ended near Eisenhower Park’s Field 5. Runners headed west, leaving the park on Merrick Avenue, and then turned toward Garden City on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard. The race looped back toward East Meadow, and runners then headed north and east through Salisbury, around the perimeter of Eisenhower Park, before re-entering the park near Carmen Avenue. The half marathon followed a similar path, but excluded some parts that ran through the park. As runners crossed the finish line, they were cheered on by grandstands full of supporters.
Top finishers
Marathon (men)
■ Benjamin Tuttle, 31, of Knoxville, TN
■ Jonathan Lindenauer, 37, of Ballston Lake, NY
■ Matthew Owens, 23, of New York, NY
Marathon (women)
■ Alyssa Salese, 32, of Huntington
■ Cristin Delaney-Guille, 44, of Long Beach
■ Kaylee Stebbins, 26, of Marlborough, CT
Scott Lannan, also known as ‘the Santa Claus,’ is well-known for racing as the Christmas character while bouncing a tennis ball on a racket.
an excited audience packed the grandstands of eisenhower park, awaiting runners crossing the finish line.
medals were distributed to all race participants.
Tim Baker/Herald photos
east meadow’s Karen armata, Janet franzese and amanda franzese crossed the finish line together on may 4.
alyssa Salese, 32, of Huntington, was the top female finisher in the marathon.
