Bellone: Suffolk marathon, other runs set for October to support LI vets

The 8th annual Catholic Health Suffolk County Marathon, half-marathon and associated runs will take place this October with funds going to support local veterans, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced Wednesday.

Bellone also announced that more than a dozen local veterans' organizations will receive grant funds stemming from the 2021 marathon. Since 2015, the marathon has raised about $800,000 to help support programs for the more than 90,000 veterans who live in Suffolk, Bellone said. 

Fund recipients include local Island Harvest, United Way of Long Island, local VFW and American Legion posts and other veterans groups. "We do not do enough for our veterans and this is a small thing that we can do every year to ensure that we are investing in them and we say that you are a valued part of our community," Bellone said.

The county executive, who missed running in last year's marathon due to being quarantined with COVID, also vowed to complete the marathon in 2022.

The 26.2-mile marathon, 13.1-mile half-marathon and 10-kilometer races will all take place Oct. 23, while the 5-kilometer run, 5-kilometer Family Trail Run/Walk and 1-kilometer KIDS Fun Run will take place Oct. 22. The Sunday races all will begin in the Village of Babylon and end in Gardiner Park in West Islip.

Participants in the marathon, half-marathon and 10k runs all can also add the 5k event to their schedules as part of a combination registration.

Runners participating in the half-marathon and marathon will race across the Robert Moses Causeway bridge. The 5k race will feature a brand-new course in Gardiner Park, officials said.

"This is one of the most beautiful courses you will find anywhere I think in the country when you are running across the bridge over the Great South Bay,"  Bellone said. "That is an amazing experience and it certainly one of the things that attracts people to the race. There’ll be spectators along the line in Babylon, West Babylon, Brightwaters, Bay Shore, and they’ll be able to take in all of that natural beauty throughout the course."

All finishers in the events will receive finisher medals. Pets are not allowed in any of the races, while no baby joggers are allowed in the marathon and half-marathons.

Runners must maintain a minimum 15-minute mile in the marathon and 18-minute miles in the half-marathon. There will be strict cutoff times imposed and runners who do not make those cutoff times will be transported back to the start line, officials said.

Registration fees are $149 for the marathon, $119 for the half-marathon, $84 for the 10k run, $49 for the 5k Family Run, $15 for the KIDS Fun Run 1k race, $194 for the combo marathon-5k run, $164 for the combo half-marathon-5k run and $125 for the 10k-5k combo race.

Registration fees increase after Aug. 15, officials said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”