Runners from near and far hit the pavement in Eisenhower Park this weekend for the Jovia Financial Credit Union Long Island Marathon, drawing thousands of athletes, families, foodies and more for a celebration of endurance, community and local connection.
Festivities kicked off with a 5K Family Fun Run on May 1, followed by a 10K and 1K Kids Fun Run on May 2 and the half-marathon and marathon on May 3. Each race began, and ended, in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park.
The marathon is the premier sporting event in Nassau County and an economic generator for the area. It also is a great source of community entertainment outside of the races. A food truck festival ran all weekend, along with a full lineup of music entertainment at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in the park. The marathon, which celebrated its 53rd year, has been sponsored by Jovia Financial Credit Union for the last decade.
Over 4,000 runners participated in the weekend’s festivities.
“The Marathon Weekend brings together people from all over the globe,” race director Corey Roberts said in a news release. “I cannot thank Jovia enough for continuing their support as the title sponsor of the marathon.”
Peter Purpura, vice president of business development at Jovia Financial Credit Union, explained that the race has served as a great way for the company to get to know the Long Island community. At the race, he said, Jovia gets to interact with thousands of runners, each who has a unique story to tell.
“I think our partnership with this event is really relevant,” he said at a previous race preview event. “We’ve been in the community for 85 years now, serving our members, and they trust us for a variety of financial needs. Similar to the runners, they come to us with a number of different reasons, and some of them are good, some of them are bad. But no matter what, our staff is always looking to greet them and get them to their next mile.”
The top finishers in the men’s marathon included Scott Bickard, 37 of Bethpage; Demir Degirmenci, 24 of Forest Hills; and Raphael Archer, 28 of Port Chester. The top three finishers in the women’s marathon included Grace Garvey, 25 of New York City, Rebecca Arbitman, 17 of Roslyn; and Samantha Augeri, 43 of Rockville Centre.
Garvey said she didn’t realize she was as far ahead of other runners as she was. Pacers on a bicycle were guiding her towards the finish line, but still, she said, “I thought there was a really big gap between me and person that was in first.”
“I am extremely, extremely thankful,” she said, reflecting on the performance. “I was injured this past year, so I was in a lot of recovery, so to be able to come out and perform the way that I did — it was amazing.”
Garvey crossed the finish line at 3 hours, 6 minutes, and 55 seconds.
The 26.2-mile race began and ended near Eisenhower Park’s Field 5. Runners headed west, leaving the park on Merrick Avenue, and then turned toward Garden City on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard. The race looped back toward East Meadow, and runners then headed north and east through Salisbury, around the perimeter of Eisenhower Park, before re-entering the park near Carmen Avenue.
The half marathon followed the same path — but completed only one loop of the entire course instead of two. As runners crossed the finish line, they were cheered on by supporters.
Jenna Vallone, 21 of Massapequa, completed her first half-marathon. She turned to running as a way to stay in shape while away at college and improve her mental health. Her training began a year ago, and she expressed gratitude for her family and friends that supported the journey. She completed the race in just under 2 hours.
“You can do hard things,” she said. “You only have one life, and I want to spend it working hard and being grateful.”
Jenna Vallone is the younger sister of the Herald’s deputy managing editor, Jordan Vallone. Additional reporting by Tim Baker.
