Home / Races / Long Island Marathon & Half Marathon Festival of Events

Long Island Marathon & Half Marathon Festival of Events

May 5, 2024
Long Island
Road
Distances
Starting Time

7:30 AM

Fees

$89 - $140

Perfect For

Ready to sign up?

100-500
Fast-Flat
High: 72°
/ Low: 61°

Set for its 50th annual running this year, New York’s Jovia Long Island Marathon and Half Marathon is a longtime running tradition here on eastern Long Island on the first weekend of May, dating back to the race’s first running in the 1970s, when it was run as the Earth Day Marathon and featured only a full, 26.2-mile marathon.

Since then, the race has added a half marathon (in 1984) as well as a 10K and 5K, and a one-mile run and children’s fun run. All of the races in the event make for a weekend of fitness activities, as the 5K, one-mile run and Kids Fun Run take place on Saturday, followed by the full and half marathons and the 10K on Sunday.

The three Sunday races all share the same starting line, on East Meadow’s Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, next to the campus of Nassau Community College and the Hempstead Plains Preserve. From there, runners in the half marathon follow the same route as those running the full until about the mile 10 marker, where the half marathon splits and takes the 13.1-milers into the Eisenhower Golf Course, where they’ll run on the cart paths next to the fairways for a couple of holes, and then onto Park Boulevard, where they’ll finish the race in Eisenhower Park. Along the way, runners pass through a number of the area’s residential neighborhoods as well as through the villages of Uniondale, Westbury and New Cassel, and past local attractions like the Nassau Coliseum (home to the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders) and Museum Row, where visitors can check out the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Aerospace Museum, Children’s Museum and the Firefighter’s Museum. The half marathon course (like the other race distances) is USATF-certified, and the full marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier course. Note that this event spans two days — the 5K is run on Friday, the 10K is run on Saturday, while the half and full marathon races are run on Sunday, May 1.
Overview
Set for its 50th annual running this year, New York’s Jovia Long Island Marathon and Half Marathon is a longtime running tradition here on eastern Long Island on the first weekend of May, dating back to the race’s first running in the 1970s, when it was run as the Earth Day Marathon and featured only a full, 26.2-mile marathon. Since then, the race has added a half marathon (in 1984) as well as a 10K and 5K, and a one-mile run and children’s fun run. All of the races in the event make for a weekend of fitness activities, as the 5K, one-mile run and Kids Fun Run take place on Saturday, followed by the full and half marathons and the 10K on Sunday.
The three Sunday races all share the same starting line, on East Meadow’s Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, next to the campus of Nassau Community College and the Hempstead Plains Preserve. From there, runners in the half marathon follow the same route as those running the full until about the mile 10 marker, where the half marathon splits and takes the 13.1-milers into the Eisenhower Golf Course, where they’ll run on the cart paths next to the fairways for a couple of holes, and then onto Park Boulevard, where they’ll finish the race in Eisenhower Park. Along the way, runners pass through a number of the area’s residential neighborhoods as well as through the villages of Uniondale, Westbury and New Cassel, and past local attractions like the Nassau Coliseum (home to the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders) and Museum Row, where visitors can check out the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Aerospace Museum, Children’s Museum and the Firefighter’s Museum. The half marathon course (like the other race distances) is USATF-certified, and the full marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier course. Note that this event spans two days — the 5K is run on Friday, the 10K is run on Saturday, while the half and full marathon races are run on Sunday, May 1.

Train with Runna

Use code HALF for 2 weeks FREE

Long Island Marathon & Half Marathon Festival of Events Course Map

Distances
1, 1, 1, 1
Starting Time

7:30 AM

Fees

$89 - $140

Perfect For

Ready to sign up?

Train with Runna

Use code HALF for 2 weeks FREE

Ready to sign up?

Related Races

Half marathon news, reviews, and discounts right to your inbox

Half Marathon Guide's 'Perfect For'

Let others know what makes this race so special.