Suffolk County Marathon to cause road closures

The Suffolk County Marathon, which draws hundreds and raises funds for veterans causes, will shutter various roadways in Babylon and Islip towns Sunday morning and early afternoon, Suffolk County police said.

Participants will take their first strides of the 10th annual, full 26.2-mile marathon in Babylon Village, run east on Montauk Highway into the Town of Islip before running the Robert Moses Causeway bridge over the Great South Bay, continuing west on Ocean Parkway past Gilgo Beach, looping back around past the beach, over the bridge and crossing the finish line at Gardiner County Park.

Limited road closures to accommodate the marathon runners will begin at 6 a.m., with full road closures taking effect at 7 a.m., police said.

In Babylon, authorities said southbound Route 231 will be closed at John Street; Little East Neck Road will be closed between Railroad Avenue and Montauk Highway; Railroad Avenue will be closed between Little East Neck Road and Deer Park Avenue; Montauk Highway will be closed between Little East Neck Road and Deer Park Avenue; and Deer Park Avenue will be closed between Park Avenue and Montauk Highway. Suffolk police said these roads will remain closed until around 9 a.m.

Montauk Highway will be closed between Little East Neck Road and Gardiner Drive in Bay Shore, and the northbound side of the Robert Moses Causeway will be closed between Montauk Highway and Ocean Parkway until around 2 p.m., police said.

While many runners will endure the full marathon Sunday, others will run a 13.1-mile half marathon or an approximately 6.2-mile 10-kilometer on the shuttered roadways. The annual event also includes a 5-kilometer run on a course contained at Gardiner County Park on Saturday.

To date, the Suffolk County Marathon has raised more than $1 million for veterans’ services, according to the Suffolk County Veterans Run Series, which connects the organizers of runs throughout the county that support veterans' causes. In previous years, recipients of the race funds included Island Harvest, United Way of Long Island, nonprofits that help veterans secure housing and local VFW and American Legion posts, according to previous Newsday reporting.