Good Question: Why no full marathon? Any other changes for race weekend this year?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC)— Marathon weekend in Rochester, it’s back on the calendar for September, but there’s no full marathon this time.

Why– when other cities up and down the Thruway are having them?

News10NBC’s Brennan Somers caught up with organizer Ellen Brenner-Boutillier from Fleet Feet/Yellowjacket racing to find out.

ELLEN BRENNER-BOUTILLIER: "So it was a very deep discussion that we had with respect to the full marathon and given we’re just coming back with events that have been decimated over the past year, you have to come back slowly. When we were looking at the resources angle everything from internally within our walls in addition to all the external resources that we require to produce the full marathon, we said you know what, we’re just trying to get back. let’s get people back."

In addition, a lot of people have lost their fitness over the last year, so let’s get them back into a more palatable distance of the 5k and a half marathon as well. So let’s start with the two biggies and go from there.

BRENNAN SOMERS: "To elaborate on that everything that goes into it, because just a few weeks ago, we saw Buffalo had a marathon, I know there’s one on the schedule in Syracuse, but it’s a huge undertaking. This is the best-case scenario for now?"

BRENNER-BOUTILLIER: "Absolutely, this will be the first event running event that actually comes back to Rochester, and it really impacts a lot of the neighborhoods. So we want to make sure that we’re playing nice with everybody, not only the neighborhoods but all the resources that are involved in doing it. so, it is a larger undertaking than we’ve ever had to do."

SOMERS: "What is it like seeing crowds of runners back again?"

BRENNER-BOUTILLIER: "So we’ve just started doing mass starts again on July 4 weekend, and it is energizing to have the people around, but you know what’s even more energizing– is to finally have spectators at the finish line and to finally have spectators along of course to have them at the start line. It was really hard for quite a few months where you felt like you were just policing saying no, you can’t be here you can’t watch your loved one, now it’s like– please come out. That’s something that’s really neat and then the energy of a mass start, You can’t can’t compete with that. it’s just wonderful."

The half marathon and 5k day is coming up on Sept. 26.

New this year, the 5k, usually on the inner loop, is now on part of the same route the half covers and shares the start line too. They’re hoping for maybe 2,000 people this year. they usually get about 2,500 on a full weekend.

Learn more about how to register and join local training groups here.

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