This weekend’s Vermont City Marathon marks a transition

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(Host) Sunday’s running of the Keybank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington will mark an important transition for Run Vermont, the non-profit that organizes the race.

VPR’s Patti Daniels has more:

(Daniels) Andrea Sisino has been race director of the marathon for 17 years.  But her planning for this weekend’s event has also included preparation for a transition: this week Peter Delaney officially took over as Run Vermont’s executive director.  Delaney left his position as vice president of Smuggler’s Notch to head up the non-profit where he’s volunteered for years.

Delaney says the Burlington marathon is one of the premier running events in the country, but he’s focused on expanding youth running programs and running events throughout the year:

(Delaney) "How do we get the kids involved, how do we penetrate the school systems a little bit, the Parks and Rec programs, and all those kinds of things so that we have that same spirit that we see over Memorial Day weekend at various locations throughout the state and throughout the calendar."

(Daniels)  Eight-thousand runners are entered in this weekend’s marathon, half-marathon and relay events. 

Outgoing director Sisino says she’s seen a lot changes in marathon racing during her tenure. One of the biggest differences is that marathons are no longer events just for elite runners.

(Sisino) "Somebody said to me the other day, ‘I think marathoning has become something on the bucket list.’ And it’s absolutely true. And the more people that see the runners and the fact that they’re all different, the more they believe that they, too, can do it."

(Daniels) The race directors expect a crowd of 30,000 spectators in Burlington for the race, and who knows how many of them will be inspired to run next year.

For VPR News, I’m Patti Daniels.

 

 

(Host Outro) The horn goes off for the 21st Keybank Vermont City Marathon on Sunday morning at 8 in Burlington.

 

 

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