It won’t be long before the streets are clear and runners hit the asphalt. There is a strong running community in Buffalo, and in recent years that community became even tighter when they lost two of their own.
Buffalo marathon race director, John Beishline, passed away in December of 2013, after spearheading efforts to grow the race, now in its fourteenth year. In 2014, as a memorial to the man who put the sport of running on a local pedestal, the John Beishline Memorial 5K was added to the line-up of race-related activities. Today, the 5K is also considered the “Donnelly Challenge” after Tom Donnelly who was also a race director of the Buffalo Marathon and passed away in November of 2014. Donnelly was instrumental in bolstering both the marathon and the 5K.
Buffalo Marathon | Sunday, May 24 at 7 am | Full, half or relay marathon (see Facebook)
John Beishline Memorial 5K | Saturday, May 23 (see Facebook)
Register now: http://bit.ly/
Following is more info provided by the organizers at the Buffalo Marathon
New for 2015:
– Bigger and better finisher’s medals for our half and full marathoners, and also 5K finishers
– All 26.2 finishers will receive a finisher’s key chain with their finisher’s medals at our finish line
– New course: The course for 2015 will be altered slightly to avoid new construction in Buffalo. A new course map will be posted ASAP, and you can view the detour map now so you can see that the changes are minimal: http://
– Partnership with Team Red, White & Blue: Team RWB chapters from around the country will compete against each other in the Stars & Stripes Relay, in which four member teams must complete our 26.2-mile course carrying our nation’s flag. Learn more: http://bit.ly/BMTEAMRWB
– A $2,000 prize for anyone who breaks an existing marathon course record, whether it be open or masters! Our current course records are 2:17:16 for the men’s open marathon (Tisia Kiplangat, 2014), 2:42:44 for the women’s open marathon (Elena Orlova, 2009), 2:25:59 for the men’s masters marathon (Jae Yung Hyung, 2012), and 2:43:48 for the women’s masters marathon (Elena Orlova, 2012). Learn more about our awards: http://bit.ly/BMAWARDS
Volunteers are also needed for the Buffalo Marathon! Traffic control, assisting with the post-race party, staffing water stations, helping at the finish line, and working at the pre-race pasta dinner, are among the volunteer tasks. All volunteers will receive an awesome tech shirt! Visit our website for details, and to register to volunteer: http://