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Vermont City Marathon

Coordinates: 44°28′53″N 73°13′09″W / 44.4813°N 73.2192°W / 44.4813; -73.2192 (Vermont City Marathon, start)
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Vermont City Marathon
DateMay
LocationBurlington, Vermont, U.S.
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
Primary sponsorPeople's United Bank
Established1989 (35 years ago) (1989)
Official sitehttps://www.runvermont.org/vermont-city-marathon-relay/
Participants1813 finishers (2019)[1]

The Vermont City Marathon (VCM) is an annual marathon in the city of Burlington, Vermont, in the United States, first held on May 28, 1989. The race is generally held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and attracts people from the New England area.[citation needed] It is produced by RunVermont, a not-for-profit organization.

History

The race was first held in 1989.

The race record for men, set by Michael Khobotov in 2001, is 2:17:03. The women's record is held by three-time champion Heidi Westerling, who ran 2:35:02 in 2009.[citation needed]

In 2010, there were 2737 marathon finishers, 690 two-person teams and 706 three-to-five person teams.[citation needed]

The VCM was the first marathon to incorporate relay teams which consists of 5 members.[citation needed]

The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all marathon registrants given the option of running the race virtually or transferring their entry to 2021 or 2022.[a][3]

Hall of Fame

There has been a long-standing disagreement between the race's Board of Directors and one of the runners. In 1998, for the race's 10th Anniversary, a club called the "Hall of Fame" was formed to honor runners who had been a part of the event each year. Membership is a mix of those who have completed every marathon, some who have started but not finished all years, some who have run on a relay team in various years, and still others who for various reasons registered for all of the VCM races but did not start some of the races. The disagreeing runner wore a cone shaped hat proclaiming "Hall of Farce" as he ran the race, reflecting his belief that the Hall of Fame should honor only those who had finished every race.[4][5] This runner's streak of 19 consecutive KBVCM finishes ended in 2008 when he did not pick up his bib, show up at the starting line, or make any public statements about the race.

In 2008 the race's Hall of Fame was renamed the RunVermont Hall of Fame and membership was expanded to include individuals who have been instrumental in the success of the race over the years such as the original Race Director, Gordon MacFarland and long-standing volunteers such as Don and Betty Lacharite. The RunVermont Hall of Fame also includes the 13 runners who completed the full 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) for the first 19 editions of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon.

Course

The USATF certified course has remained the same since 2001. It starts in Battery Park (44°28′53″N 73°13′09″W / 44.4813°N 73.2192°W / 44.4813; -73.2192 (Vermont City Marathon, start)) overlooking Lake Champlain, does a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) loop through downtown Burlington, then heads out the Burlington Beltline (VT 127), a highway that is closed to traffic only once a year for the marathon.[citation needed] The course then climbs back into downtown Burlington before heading south and joining the Burlington bikepath at Oakledge Park, where the halfway point is reached. The course follows the bikepath north to the "Assault on Battery Hill", the largest climb on the course. After going through Battery Park at mile 15.1, the course does a final loop through residential neighborhoods in the north side of Burlington, then follows the bikepath back to the finish at Waterfront Park beside Lake Champlain (44°28′40″N 73°13′15″W / 44.4779°N 73.2209°W / 44.4779; -73.2209 (Vermont City Marathon, finish)).

Other races

Runners in the Vermont City Marathon can compete in the full marathon, on a two-person relay team running half marathons, or on a three-to-five person relay team running legs ranging from 3.1 to 6.2 miles. Due to overwhelming demand in the relay events, relay team spots are available only through a lottery while spots for the full marathon can be acquired through the standard entry process.[citation needed]

Community impact

The race is produced by RunVermont, a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting running in Vermont. RunVermont also organizes several other races including First Run Burlington and the Half Marathon Unplugged, as well as adult training programs, and a youth running and health education program called Many Milers.[citation needed]

Winners

Men's

Year Winner Country Time Notes
1989 Joe Kreutz  United States 2:29:11 Course record
1990 Felix Pinto  Colombia 2:27:09 Course record
1992 Robert Hodge  United States 2:22:11 Course record
1993 Brad Hawthorne  United States 2:18:04 Course record
1994 Angel Moreno  Mexico 2:21:34
1995 Michael Slinskey  United States 2:21:40
1996 Dan Verrington  United States 2:21:10
1997 Tim Schuler  United States 2:18:58
1998 Jerod Neas  United States 2:21:22
1999 Weldon Johnson  United States 2:24:45
2000 Greg Hill  United States 2:22:56
2001 Michael Khobotov  United States 2:17:03 Course record
2002 Chad Newton  United States 2:26:27
2003 Greg Wenneborg  United States 2:24:02
2004 Peter Fleming  United States 2:24:02
2005 Chris Juarez  United States 2:25:27
2006 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:24:27
2007 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:19:00 Second victory
2008 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:20:44 Third victory
2009 John Crews  United States 2:19:31
2010 John Crews  United States 2:17:51 Second victory
2011 Dan Vassallo  United States 2:24:09
2012 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:21:30 Fourth victory
2013 Christopher Zablocki  United States 2:18:24
2014 Tyler Andrews  United States 2:20:27
2015 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:19:12 Fifth victory
2016 Matt Pelletier  United States 2:23:02 Sixth victory
2017 Tyler Andrews  United States 2:19:41 Second victory
2018 Tyler Andrews  United States 2:17:44 Third victory
2019 Sergio Reyes  United States 2:17:40

Women's

Year Winner Country Time Notes
1989 Lea Sikora  United States 2:48:22 Course record
1990 Shirley Silsby  United States 2:51:24
1992 Carol Virga  United States 2:47:28 Course record
1993 Laura Konantz  Canada 2:49:28
1994 Cindy New  Canada 2:43:52 Course record
1995 Gordon Bakoulis  United States 2:38:32 Course record
1996 Cindy New  Canada 2:48:16 Second victory
1997 Mary Lynn Carter  United States 2:42:20
1998 Gordon Bakoulis  United States 2:42:51 Second victory
1999 Regina Ronan  United States 2:49:14
2000 Charlene Lyford  United States 2:46:10
2001 Charlene Lyford  United States 2:54:33 Second victory
2002 Véronique Vandersmisse  Canada 2:41:20
2003 Heather Gardiner  United States 2:45:31
2004 Caryn Heffernan  United States 2:46:52
2005 Susan Loken  United States 2:51:09
2006 Heidi Westerling  United States 2:44:02
2007 Heidi Westerling  United States 2:48:56 Second victory
2008 Caroine Chemwolo  United States 2:47:38
2009 Heidi Westerling  United States 2:35:02 Course record; third victory
2010 Heidi Westover  United States 2:40:04 Fourth victory
2011 Heidi Westover  United States 2:46:49 Fifth victory
2012 Kasie Enman  United States 2:43:13 Highest-finishing Vermonter
2013 Heidi Westover  United States 2:42:02 Sixth victory
2014 Dihininet Demsew Jara  Ethiopia 2:43:14
2015 Kasie Enman  United States 2:49:03 Highest-finishing Vermonter; second victory
2016 Madeline Duhon  United States 2:50:07
2017 Kasie Enman  United States 2:50:26 Highest-finishing Vermonter; third victory
2018 Bizuwork Kasaye  Ethiopia 2:42:24
2019 Rachel Schilkowsky  United States 2:45:59

By nationality

Country Men's
Open
Women's
Open
Total
 United States 26 22 48
 Colombia 1 0 1
 Mexico 1 0 1
 Canada 0 4 4
 Ethiopia 0 1 1
Sources:
  • "Archive of Results (1989+)". Vermont City Marathon. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  • "TOP TEN RESULTS". 27th Peoples United Bank Vermont City Marathon & Marathon Relay Race Results. Cool Running. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.

Notes

  1. ^ It had initially been postponed to October 25 before being cancelled.[2]

References

  1. ^ http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=28190526
  2. ^ https://www.runvermont.org. Retrieved 12 April 2020. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ https://www.runvermont.org/races/covid-19-race-updates/
  4. ^ Freyne, Peter. "New Top Prosecutor". Seven Days. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  5. ^ Sam Hemingway,Burlington Free Press, May 26, 2005