On your mark, get set, go!
The Queens Distance Runners (QDR), a running group based in the “World’s Borough,” announced that registration for the first-ever Queens Marathon is open.
Registration for the inaugural event, which costs participants a $95 fee, will close when they reach their capacity of 500 runners. By the start of the new year, the running group hopes to have nearly 20 percent capacity, with runners from Maryland to New Hampshire already registered.
“For me, putting together this team and this event is what I believe I was meant to do,” said Kevin Montalvo, founder of QDR. “I’ve been spoiled with a lifetime of making friends of diverse backgrounds to eating some of the best foods of any culture on any whim and it’s inspiring to see our borough going through a period of acclaimed success. Working with partners such as The Queens Courier and the Queens Tourism Council has been essential in not only getting out the word about this inaugural marathon, but locating ideal sponsors that will bless our marathon with an authentic feel of what Queens has to offer.”
The race, which is set to take place on April 30, 2016, will be a five-loop course around Flushing Meadows Park, with plenty of spectators lining the road, music groups and more to entertain the runners and the crowds.
“The official tagline for the Queens Marathon will pay homage to the ‘World’s Borough’ as we deem this the ‘World’s Marathon,’” Montalvo said.
In preparation for the Queens Marathon, QDR are hosting a 5K race and 30K race, both at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The 5K, named “For the Love of Queens,” will be held on Feb. 13, 2016, and the 30K “Spring Marathon Tune Up” will be on March 26.
The day following the Queens Marathon, QDR will host a kids-only run that will be free of charge, and aims to inspire public school kids to get a healthy perspective on their borough and connect them with a diverse running community.
