Long Island marathon returns with new course, food and now, live music
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran on Wednesday at the finish line for the Jovia Long Island Marathon, which returns Sunday with a weekend of related events. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The Jovia Long Island Marathon, which was canceled last year because of the pandemic, returns this weekend with a redesigned course and a food and music festival.
The 26.2 mile race, which begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, is now a two-lap course that begins and ends in East Meadow's Eisenhower Park.
The 48th annual marathon includes fewer road closures than in previous years, lessening impact on the surrounding community, County Executive Laura Curran said Wednesday at a news conference at the race's finish line.
"And it has a real positive impact on local economy, with visitors and residents coming for the race," Curran said. "And then they go spend money in the local community. They go out to eat and support our local businesses. So it's good for the local economic development."
The festivities begin Friday night with a "Friday Night Lights" 5K race in which runners must wear a head lamp to see the 3.1-mile course. Saturday's lineup includes a children's 1-mile fun run, a 10K and half marathon, while Sunday is the full 5,000-runner marathon.
Registration for the races is still open and the county is looking for event volunteers, Curran said.
Runners who had registered for the 2020 race were automatically registered for the 2021 marathon, and all finishers this year who are at least 21 will receive a free beer from the Great South Brewery.
The weekend also includes several live bands, 19 food trucks and a health and fitness expo, organizers said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said security will be heightened for the event, with runners provided clear plastic bags for personal items that will be screened by members of the department's Homeland Security and Bomb Squad units.
Spectators will also have their bags inspected and many roads in the vicinity of the park will be closed Sunday, he said.
"The priority for us," Ryder said, "is your safety and your security."
Long Island Marathon Road Closures for Sept. 19
- Charles Lindbergh Blvd. (Entire loop) 6 a.m -1 p.m.
- Stewart Ave. (Merchant’s Concourse/Endo Blvd. to Merrick Ave.) 6:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
- Merrick Ave. (Stewart Ave. to Hempstead Turnpike) 5 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Park Blvd. (Hempstead Turnpike to Merrick Ave.) 6:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Other Closures:
- Meadowbrook State Parkway exits and entrances to and from Charles Lindbergh Boulevard (Nassau Coliseum, Nassau Community College and Eisenhower Park exits), as well as the exit onto eastbound Stewart Avenue, which will be closed from 6 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
- Eisenhower Park's Park Boulevard will not allow through traffic between 5 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Public parking in sections of the park will be permitted until 6:30 a.m.
Roads may be closed earlier, remain closed longer, or may reopen sooner than the times posted here. All times listed are approximate.
Source: Nassau County
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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