Malverne’s Pete Hawkins for the L.I. Marathon win

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Over 5,000 people participated in the annual Long Island Marathon on May 7, among them Malverne’s native son, Pete Hawkins, who again came in first in the race’s wheelchair division.

Hawkins, who turned 53 on May 9, spoke to the Herald about the experience.

“The weather was good, and the wind wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, but everybody’s time was slow,” Hawkins said. “I thought I was going to be a little fast than I was.” Hawkins traversed the marathon’s 26.2 miles in 2:16:56.

The Long Island Marathon is no stranger to Hawkins, who said he has participated in 24 of them — and won 23. He’s also raced numerous times in other marathons, 5Ks and 10ks around the globe. “

“I’ve done New York City about 15 times,” Hawkins recalled. “Japan about 15. It would take some time to figure out how many.”

Hawkins said he enjoys the Long Island Marathon, not only because he thinks you should support your local race, but because he’s done it so often — plus he’s a local guy — that he comes in contact with a lot of familiar faces. “It’s great because you see the people cheering and the people in the race. You develop a great camaraderie from always being a part of it. “

What’s next for Hawkins? “I’m in a race on Saturday in Stony Brook — a 5K. It’s a good course and a good time,” he said. But then there’s the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta on July 4. “Fifty-thousand people do that race,” Hawkins said with excitement in his voice. “The best racers in the world go to that one.”

In that case, you can count on Hawkins being there. Good luck Pete.