Get in gear this spring and join the Queens Distance Runners (QDR) on their 30K: Spring Marathon Tune-Up at Flushing Meadows Corona Park this weekend.
The race, which will take place on Saturday, March 26, kicks off at 8 a.m. near the famous Queens Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and will make four loops of 7.5 kilometers, officially certifying it as a 30K.
According to QDR, the course heads out to the Avenue of Progress to the Meadow Lake side of the park. Runners will make their descent onto the south side of the park, where they’ll head toward the left and run down Meadow Lake Drive with the Van Wyck Expressway on their left and Meadow Lake on the right. They will continue to follow the road, heading to the right and up the left side of Meadow Lake Drive, this time with the Grand Central Parkway on the left and Meadow Lake on the right.
The run continues up Meadow Lake Drive to the bridge again, connecting the south to the north sides of the park. On the return to the north side of the park, runners will head toward the left, behind the New York State Pavilion, then approach the Queens Unisphere, with a briefly run under the Unisphere and make a right back to the start line.
Registration for the 30K is open, and the first 200 registrants will receive a “QDR 30K Tech” shirt, and all finishers will get a medal. The race will be capped at 300 runners and there will be a 4-hour time limit.
The price for registration is $40 until race day, and $50 on race day. Race-day packet pickup and registration begins at 7 a.m. near the start/finish line by the Unisphere.
QDR is also looking for volunteers for the Inaugural Queens Marathon, scheduled to take place on April 30. There are two shifts for volunteers, one from 7 to 11 a.m. and one from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up here.
“We are hoping that Queens natives fill up volunteer slots,” said Kevin Montalvo, founder of QDR. “Volunteers that sign up [online] will receive race credit towards NYCRUNS produced events and will be a part of history!”
