Queens Marathon is set to add more fuel to the running frenzy.
Queens Distance Runners (QDR), a grassroots running organization based in Jackson Heights, will kick off the inaugural Queens Marathon weekend — a two-day celebration of community and movement — from Saturday, Dec. 6 to Sunday, Dec. 7. at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Leading up to the flagship event, QDR will introduce two more races as forerunners to the Queens Marathon and QDR Half on Sunday, Dec. 7. The Queens Get The Money 5K and 10K races are set for Saturday, Dec. 6, encouraging more runners to enter the fray. The phrase “Queens Get The Money” is a nod to the borough’s unbounded legacy of perseverance, popularized by Queens icons Nas and Mobb Deep.
In addition to the newly inaugurated races, QDR has announced its mission to benefit Queens-based third graders through the NYC Kids RISE’s Save for College Program, according to a press release. This initiative is part of the running organization’s ongoing commitment to building the next generation of Queens locals.
As of press time, Flushing Meadows Corona Park will be the host venue for the four races. However, QDR is actively working towards broadening the running path to the streets, while providing an elevated race experience that prioritizes the participants’ safety.
Kevin Montalvo, the founder of QDR and race director of the Queens Marathon, stated that a street course would enable the organization to “connect neighborhoods and communities across Queens,” offering runners and spectators a marathon experience that celebrates the borough’s diversity.
“It has been a privilege to organize race events across our great borough for more than a decade. Reaching this point, a weekend for runners in the New York City running community and beyond to come to the World’s Borough proves that Queens is the future of running in New York City,” Montalvo shared in a press release. “From the Marathon to the 5K, this weekend is about uniting runners, families and communities while investing in the future of our children and distance running in our borough.”
Debra-Ellen Glickstein, the founding executive director of NYC Kids RISE, also announced an inaugural community-based scholarship for third graders in Queens. In collaboration with QDR, NYC Kids RISE, a nonprofit that invests in the future of NYC public school students, will raise funds for the leaders of tomorrow through the power of running.
“We’re proud to partner with Queens Distance Runners and the Queens Marathon on the first-ever borough-wide Community Scholarship benefitting nearly every third grader in public school in Queens. Thank you to Queens Distance Runners, thousands of marathon participants, and the community cheering them on for being part of a significant investment in our children’s futures. Together, we’re showing kids that they have powerful support from their neighbors to achieve their college and career dreams. With these additional assets in their NYC Scholarship Accounts, students will have even more encouragement to dream big about the future.”
The Queens Marathon Expo is scheduled to open on Saturday, Dec. 6, where race bibs and T-shirts are picked up in advance. Interested sponsors are welcome to email qdrunners@gmail.com for additional inquiries.
To register for the Queens Get The Money 5K and 10K, QDR Half and Queens Marathon, click here.
For more information about QDR, visit their website.
