We know Jersey City is many things to many people, and this weekend, it will be the site of a USA Track and Field-sanctioned marathon and half marathon event. In fact, the marathon will be a Boston marathon + the Olympics qualifier and the course will be designed to show off the best of JC’s neighborhoods for both local runners and out-of-town participants. The Jersey City Road Runners organization is working with the City to host the event which takes place this Sunday, April 23rd. Read on to learn more about the 2023 Jersey City marathon and half marathon happening this Sunday, April 23rd.
Creating the Marathon
Jersey City Road Runners got its start when three local women decided to form a community for local JC runners. According to the website, “Yraida Aponte-Lipski, Shelley Smith, and Julia Ulloa got together and formed Jersey City Rad Runners with the hope of enhancing running opportunities in Jersey City.”
The group has surely lived up to its goals. When some local runners got to talking about how Jersey City is deserving of its own marathon, a local resident decided to run with this idea (pun intended). Executive Director of Jersey City Road Runners Steve Lipski — who also happens to be co-founder Yraida’s husband — brought the idea to Mayor Steven Fulop. The mayor was excited to make the idea a reality, according to a press release.
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One of the reasons Mayor Fulop was so eager to pursue this race is because he himself ran the New York City marathon back in 2017, as seen on NJ.com. He also recently ran the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Newport 5k in Jersey City last year where he achieved his personal best mile time, 6:43, according to his Instagram. Though nothing has been confirmed yet, it certainly isn’t out of the question that runners could find themselves running alongside the mayor in Sunday’s race.
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The Race Itself
The upcoming marathon and half marathon, which will run on the same day, are a collaboration between Jersey City Road Runners and CompuScore, according to the website.
“The marathon and half marathon will be a USA Track & Field New Jersey sanctioned event on a certified course, one of the fastest and flattest in all of America,” the website reads. It also promises wonderful views and exposure to the rich culture Jersey City has to offer — a culture that inspired the whole idea of the marathon in the first place.
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The entirety of the race will remain within Jersey City, and anyone who runs it will automatically get a chance to qualify for the following Boston marathon, according to NJ.com. It will also be a qualifying race for the Olympics. Since Jersey City itself is not big enough for a straight-shot course, the marathon will involve loops.
“Travel through Jersey City’s picturesque waterfront, Powerhouse Art District, Historic Paulus Hook District, iconic Liberty State Park with view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, down Caven Point Road through the Bergen & Greenville communities, and back to the Newport where the half marathon will come to a finish and the full marathon will continue looping around a similar course but in reverse,” a post from August 2022 reads. It also said that everyone who registers will get a quality dry-fit running shirt, a medal for those who finish, and more.
As of now, there are over 6,305 runners signed up for the dual race — “2,650 are in the marathon and 3,655 are in the half marathon,” per NJ.com. Of the runners, there are “6,000 athletes, including 60 professional runners from 28 countries and 38 states.”
“Hopefully, it will spark some people’s running careers and will contribute to others and it will give people a sense of accomplishment and a sense of hope that 26.2 miles does for a person,” Steve told NJ.com back in the summer.
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The marathon begins at 7A.M at Newport. Neighbors, participants, and supporters can sign up to receive marathon updates through the Jersey City Road Runners website.
Be sure to stay in-the-know with @thehobokengirl on Instagram here and TikTok here. 
