Vermont City Marathon kicks off on Sunday

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – With the Vermont City Marathon just days away, set up for the annual event is just beginning at the Waterfront Center in Burlington.

This is the 35th Vermont City Marathon and there are a small handful of runners who have ran the 26.2 every year since the marathon began in 1989. Running it 35 times is a next-level achievement.

South Burlington native Rob O’Brien now lives in Ohio but makes returning to Vermont a priority every Memorial Day weekend to crank out 26.2 miles.

“It’s a good excuse to come home and see everybody,” said O’Brien.

He reflects on when the marathon was a small race with a much different route. In the first event in 1989, he says runners blocked people from boating on Mallet’s Bay.

“Everything’s changed over time, but it’s still fun to do it though,” he said.

He’s been joined by his niece and nephew and has seen his fair share of wacky weather like pouring rain, extreme heat, and even snow.

“One year early on where it was 93 on Saturday and then on Sunday, it was like 38 and there was sleet two times. That was crazy,” said O’Brien.

RunVermont Executive Director Joe Connelly says the first race had over 1,000 runners, now it’s increased to roughly 5,000.

“It’s been it’s been a long run. And the growth over the years has been fantastic,” said Connelly.

He says it’s all about tradition and embracing the change, including the start and finish line being at Battery Park before the Waterfront was developed.

“The support of the Burlington community has been just phenomenal over the years,” he said.

And as the marathon legacy continues, O’Brien says he isn’t stopping anytime soon, athough he has heard you can keep your status as a yearly marathoner even if you run just one leg of the race.

“At some point maybe I’ll just do the half, but for now I’m still enjoying it,” he said.

You can see live team coverage of the Vermont City Marathon on Channel 3 on Sunday morning.

The race begins around 7 a.m. but several roads will be closed in Burlington before that.

You can find more information here.

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