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June 6, 2007
Hamptons Marathon Becomes a Reality
By Kerry Monaco
The brainchild of distance runners Amanda Moszkowski and Diane Weinberger will come to life this fall in the form of the inaugural Hamptons Marathon.
The first-ever running of the 26.2-mile Hamptons event will be on Saturday, September 29, starting and finishing at Springs School on School Street in East Hampton. The course stays off of Route 27 and offers views of Nappeague Bay. Runners will also have the option of running a half-marathon, or 13.1 miles.
When asked why they wanted to start this event, Moszkowski and Weinberger explained that their love of running is the driving force behind it, as is their desire to give something back to a community that they enjoy. Moszkowski and Weinberger both live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and own houses on the East End—Weinberger in East Hampton and Moszkowski in Bridgehampton.
Moszkowski and Weinberger met in 1996 through their sons and it turned out that their lives had quite a bit of overlap, both in Manhattan and on the East End. The two had always been athletic and started running marathons together. In August 2005, they climbed California’s Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet.
“Diane and I were both training for the New York City Marathon a few years ago and there were no races out here longer than a 10K,” Moszkowski said. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We need something longer.’”
And so the Hamptons Marathon was born. But it wasn’t easy as the organizers initially thought as there was lots of red tape to navigate and organizing that had to be done before the race date could be set.
“The idea sort of evolved,” Weinberger said. “I had been in Montauk and first conceived the idea of Montauk to Mecox, but then I thought how the idea of running on [Route] 27 wouldn’t work. Then it was going to start and end at Cyril’s [Fish House in Amagansett], but the police department said even a short stretch on 27 wouldn’t work.
“We worked with local people who know local running spots and found a course that had views of the bay and wasn’t very hilly,” she added.
Finally, a course was set and a date was chosen for the end of September. They decided on late September for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that it is hard to come by a free weekend in the summer in the Hamptons, and organizers said their date could accommodate the largest number of people, including members of the East Hampton fire and police departments.
September 29 was also chosen based on the dates of other marathons, with organizers thinking that many runners will use the half-marathon as a warmup for events like the Chicago Marathon on October 7, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., on October 28 and the New York City Marathon on November 4.
The Hamptons Marathon course is a USA Track and Field sanctioned and certified course, and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, which will be run on April 21, 2008.
The Hamptons race has nailed down two major sponsors—Jet Blue Airlines and Nike—to go along with many local sponsors. All net proceeds from the event will be going back to the community. The main beneficiary of the event is Project Most, which provides
after-school services to students in the elementary and middle schools in East Hampton and Springs. The Springs Fire Department will also receive proceeds from the event.
There will be prize money given to the top male and female finishers, and a special award given to the top local finisher. The exact amount of prize money has yet to be determined but, according to organizers, they have a “substantial pot of money to draw from right now.” To register, runners can go to www. hamptonsmarathon.com. The registration fee for the marathon is $85 through August 15, and $95 from August 16 to September 22. The half-marathon fee is $50 through August 15, and $65 from August 16 through September 22. There will be no race-day registrations accepted.
So far, more than 120 people have registered to run in the marathon and halfmarathon events, and runners from around the country, including those from as far away as California and Massachusetts, have already signed up.
In addition to the marathon and halfmarathon, the race is also offering a special event for children attending the East Hampton Middle School. Moszkowski and Weinberger spoke to students at the school a few weeks ago and are now part of the Bonac on Board to Wellness program in the district. The two posed a challenge to the students, stating that if they keep a training log between now and the day of the race, and run either 12 or 25 miles in that span, they can come to the marathon and run the final mile of either the half-marathon or a full marathon, depending on how many miles they run prior to the event.
Training sessions will be available for runners prior to the marathon. Nike will be organizing training runs through Gubbins Running Ahead in East Hampton, and offering running clinics and supplying gear to participants. Zone Hampton has teamed up with the organizers to offer training spin classes on Saturday mornings over the summer.
Schedules for the training sessions have yet to be determined though they will be posted on the marathon’s website in the near future.
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