Sri Chinmoy Marathon
Congers, NY
- Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Welcome to the annual Sri Chinmoy Marathon (previously called the Self-Transcendence Marathon) which takes place around Rockland Lake in Valley Cottage, New York – just 30 minutes from New York City. Join an international field of runners from over 30 countries in this flat, fast, and scenic race! Join us … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Aug 24):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 80 | 82 | 78 | 89 | 87 |
| L (°F) | 62 | 63 | 64 | 69 | 70 |
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Running for the Zen of it!
2014 was my third time running this race and I wanted to share it with you. Lovely and peaceful event run entirely in Rockland Lake State Park in Nyack (Rockland … MORE
2014 was my third time running this race and I wanted to share it with you.
Lovely and peaceful event run entirely in Rockland Lake State Park in Nyack (Rockland County), New York on August 25th each year, regardless of the day of the week it falls on. Organized by the Sri Chinmoy Races organization, it is not uncommon to see runners from around the world, many Eastern European countries whose names I cannot spell! 9 loops of the paved path surrounding the beautiful lake with with soothing melodies from a variety of instruments and chants from groups of spectators. In 2014 I swear they were chanting “you can do this, you look so good, keep up the good work” – not an unusual shout out from the crowd, but imagine that in a singsongy and soft tone! People are here for the love of running and for the spiritual gains they receive. There is no advanced packet pickup, no expo, no hype. You can set up your own aid station near the “center of activity”, or you will be sufficiently supported by the three aid stations set up around the 2.9 mile loop.
The main aid station offers sports drinks, coke, water, fruit, candies, and are you ready for this – dried seaweed! I was skeptical of this the first time I ran the event but then I realized it is an amazing and natural form of salt!
Each lap is recorded manually and the volunteers will alert you when you are on your last lap. But you need to pay attention because many of them are very soft spoken. Speaking of soft spoken, this is one of the quietest marathons I’ve run. Seems that most of the runners are there for the spirituality and not for the chattiness you might find at other races. This is perfectly fine with me.
Once you finish, they have an amazing post-race meal which, unlike with most races, caters to vegetarians. It is quite the feast.
Also, bring your yoga mat for a pre-race stretch and post-race relaxation. You won’t be alone!
Parking is super-convenient especially if you arrive an hour or so before the race begins. The (cotton) short sleeve shirt you receive always has one of Sri Chinmoy’s amazing and inspirational sayings on it. In 2014 it said “The happiness of the heart expedites the speed of the body.” The medal is simple but nice.