Around 1,300 people ran in the 51st Harrisburg Marathon

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Around 1,300 people laced up their running shoes for the Harrisburg Marathon on Sunday.

Marathon runners ran 26.2 miles by completing a 13.1-mile course twice.

City Island took center stage and the race served as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, and the YMCA says it’s a huge deal for a city like Harrisburg, but organizers say there were also a lot of first-timers.

Rosie Turner, vice president of marketing for the Harrisburg Area YMCA, said, “This marathon specifically welcomes runners of many different abilities. We have people who are just trying it for the first time, all the way up to people who say, “I love Harrisburg, I love a flat course, so I say we have marathon newbies all the way up to ultra marathon runners who…” I really love this race.”

This was the 51st year of the Harrisburg Marathon