Yonkers Marathon
Yonkers, NY
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
It’s a Marathon Milestone in Yonkers! The Yonkers Marathon is a Marathoner’s Marathon, rich in tradition and known for its tough hilly course that starts and finishes in downtown Yonkers and travels through the scenic hills of Yonkers then along the beautiful Hudson River. Whether you’re interested in just a … MORE
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Well organized. Yes, it's very hilly
For the race that costs only $50, it's a very well run race with plenty of extremely enthusiastic and kind volunteers, hydration stations and great swag. Unfortunately they ran out … MORE
For the race that costs only $50, it’s a very well run race with plenty of extremely enthusiastic and kind volunteers, hydration stations and great swag. Unfortunately they ran out of Gatorade but if you’re an experienced marathoner (and slow one on top), you’ll show up prepared. Gels are not provided. Finish area festival is fantastic, has plenty of real food and drinks. Well sponsored race. Yes, this course is very hilly. You get some downhills and short flat stretches, but keep the need to climb in mind. Will absolutely run this again.
Not as hard as I expected
Although I previously lived in Yonkers for 18 years this was the first time I did this race. This is known to be a tough course, but really apart from … MORE
Although I previously lived in Yonkers for 18 years this was the first time I did this race. This is known to be a tough course, but really apart from the climb up Tompkins it’s not that bad. That being said, I’m glad I didn’t have to do another lap.
There’s no expo, but you can pick up your bib the day before (I did). If you pick it up on race day there’s a line.
Note that the streets are not closed. During the downtown portion and part of Nepperhan Ave it’s coned off to keep the cars off you. Once you get to north Yonkers the cones disappear and the rest of the way you could have cars near you.
Finish line had a decent amount of post-race food and water. Also the course itself has water stations every mile, which I consider to be a big plus. Three or four of them also had gatorade.
The last part of the race is down Warburton Ave, with views of the Hudson. Other than that you’re running through downtown first, then an industrial area, then a residential area.
The race starts and finishes near the Yonkers train station, with free parking at the Buena Vista lot, and Yonkers Brewing Co. nearby and open early for half finishers. If my marathon schedule permits it I will likely do this race over and over again going forward.
Tough Hilly course
This is a tough ass Hilly course. The travel logistics was great. There was free parking offered as well as race day bib pick up. The race started on time … MORE
This is a tough ass Hilly course. The travel logistics was great. There was free parking offered as well as race day bib pick up. The race started on time which is always a good thing. Water/aid stations were set up nicely throughout.
Much Improved
I had said back in 2015 that I wouldn't run Yonkers again. Well, my plans for today got cancelled so I signed up at the last minute. Once again the … MORE
I had said back in 2015 that I wouldn’t run Yonkers again. Well, my plans for today got cancelled so I signed up at the last minute.
Once again the race starts and ends at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, meaning that runners have access to actual bathrooms and heat.
The course this year was just about the same as in 2015 (some minor changes) except now it’s run in reverse (which means some horrid hills are now downhills, but some nice declines are now inclines). It also meant that the more business side of Nepperhan Ave is the first half of the race. Roads are still mostly open, but now runners mostly have either a coned off lane, a shoulder to run in, or both. Some roads were just open, but traffic was light and there were quite a few police along the route directing traffic (otherwise it was volunteers). The course was also much better marked, with arrows along the course showing which way to go and miles painted on the road.
The medal is okay, not great, but nice all the same. The shirt is a tech tee. The post race food was disappointing as all that was out when I finished was bagels and water. They had wraps it looked like, but they weren’t put out yet (meaning they were basically only for those running the full marathon) and I wouldn’t have been able to have them anyway (they were all meat and I’m a vegetarian).
I’m surprised how decent my time was given that I forgot my music. I parked at the Tarrytown train station and took MNR to Yonkers. The library is across the street from the station.
Hopefully a new race director will help
This is a local race that was in its 90th year this past fall so I thought: why not? I had friends running it, it was decently priced, and easy … MORE
This is a local race that was in its 90th year this past fall so I thought: why not? I had friends running it, it was decently priced, and easy to get to.
However, there were some definite issues with the race. The first issue is that the scenery is only in the first half or so. You run out along the river, it’s pretty. However, when you’re on the way back to the riverfront (where the race begins and ends), you run through some very questionable parts of downtown Yonkers. The second issue is that very few roads were closed. For a brief section of the course, there was a coned off lane for runners…actual closed streets were only a few at the start. The rest of the race was full on sharing the road with cars and cars that were unaware there was a race and didn’t care that runners were on the road. For the back of the pack, this meant being relatively alone among cars that were maybe 10 inches away…if not closer. Not very safe. Oh, and part of the race is in a residential area and very poorly marked. I only knew I was on course because of discarded Gu wrappers.
They call Yonkers the “city of hills” and that isn’t a misnomer. This course is anything but fast and doesn’t even resemble flat. It’s very challenging and definitely not a PR course.
The good points were thus: There were bagels and water at the finish line, the shirt is a tech tee and is pretty nice, and the medal is nice (the tee has the same design as the medal).
NYCruns used to put on this even, but starting in 2016 another company has taken over. Not sure I want to give it another go due to lack of road closures, so I guess we’ll see what future reviews have to say.