BURLINGTON — Sarah Springer last ran the Vermont City Marathon in 2016 but didn’t finish.
“That was the one with crazy high humidity,” the 38-year-old Burlington resident said Sunday as she sipped water on the boardwalk.
This year, though, was different in a number of ways: The race was cut in half, from 26.2 miles to 13.1. It was delayed from Memorial Day weekend, when it traditionally appeared on the calendar. And after some three hours and 50 minutes, Springer had just finished the course on what turned out to be a chilly, sunny race day.
Springer’s path to Sunday wasn’t so straightforward. The 2020 race was supposed to be her “redemption run,” she said, “but Covid laughed in my face.”
Last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic. Then the Delta variant and rising case counts forced RunVermont to organize a very different race this year, cutting the mileage and pushing the calendar date to keep the pressure off medical professionals as they continue to battle the virus.
“As far as we know, it was a safe run, which is always our No. 1 objective,” said Joe Connelly, director of race operations, as he gathered orange cones at Waterfront Park after the event ended.
While it was a challenge to organize in the midst of a pandemic — six weeks ago they were still planning for a full course — Connelly said it was fine because of the open space, the smaller crowd and because everyone abided by the rules.
Springer agreed. “Everyone was really respectful and reminding people to wear masks and socially distance,” she said. Runners were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test when they picked up their bibs, she said.
Spirits ran high with temperatures rising from the 30s in the early morning to the 40s and low 50s by lunchtime. Volunteers and families lined the route waving, shaking signs, clapping and cheering on runners. The Burlington Concert Band belted out tunes on North Avenue by the old high school and Taiko drummers bumped up spirits on Battery Street.
The new two-loop course started and finished at Waterfront Park for the first time. Some 2,300 runners were registered, while a normal year has about 7,500, according to Kate Vetter, spokesperson for RunVermont.
“While the number of runners and spectators was way down, the amazing energy usually seen, heard and felt in Waterfront Park for the People’s United Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay was alive and well,” Vetter said in an email. “The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Our runners were incredibly appreciative, happy, and excited to be racing in-person again, and our volunteers couldn’t be happier to be able to support each of them crossing the finish line.”
William McGovern, 24, of Stowe finished first, clocking a race time of 1:07:22. Tyler Marshall, 22 of Hinesburg finished second in 1:10:38, and Ansel Dickey, 26, of Woodstock, finished third at 1:10:46, according to the race results online.
Lily Anderson, 24, of Brooklyn, New York placed eighth and was the first woman to complete the half marathon on Sunday with a race time of 1:16:25. She was followed by Kelli Proctor, 44, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, who came in 25th, and Kelley Driscoll, 29, of Colchester who finished 30th.
The course hit many runners’ beloved highlights, including the scenic Lake Champlain bike path. It started at 8 a.m. with staggered groups headed south on Pine Street, through Oakledge Park, and then north on the Burlington Bike Path. It visited the Church Street Marketplace before moving onto North Avenue, through Leddy Park, and back to Waterfront Park via the bike path.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a full or a half, the Vermont City Marathon will always be my favorite race,” said Devann Murphy, who was the only woman to compete as a hand cyclist on Sunday, according to Vetter.
Two hours after it ended, Sara Griswold and her teammates gathered to pick up trash in the park. They are part of the first Green Team representing the Vermont Farm Bureau with a mission to be the unifying voice of agriculture in the Green Mountain State, she said.
A 12-member team, they helped runners and visitors figure out what goes into trash, recycling and composting. They learned a lot in the process, Griswold said, including that the waxed cups are not recyclable but that the silver heat sheets runners use to stay warm are cleaned and reused.
“I think everyone seemed to feel really safe and people did mask when they were in groups and on the grass here,” she added.
Usually the state’s largest sporting event, the Vermont City Marathon was first held on May 28, 1989, a race Connelly, 56, of Burlington remembers running.
“A lot has changed,” he laughed.
It was much smaller, for starters, even smaller than this year’s half marathon. It had a totally different course because the bike path wasn’t finished and Waterfront Park wasn’t a park but an industrial site.
While he estimates running about 20 marathons, he ran his fastest one here “a million years ago,” he said.
“We had some fast runners today,” he said. “Thanks to the city, we had a lot of support.”
The 33rd race is slated to return to Memorial Day weekend on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
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Vermont City Marathon returns later, smaller after a canceled year - vtdigger.org
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