BREAKING: The Buffalo Marathon Will (Mostly) Return To Normal This Year

A couple weeks ago, the announcement was made that the Buffalo Marathon would be postponed into June this year.  It looks like that was a great decision on their part.

The only thing constant is change.

Waiting to hold the marathon is looking like it paid off for the organizers of the Buffalo Marathon.  This year, it is going to return to a (mostly) normal race again as New York is dropping its state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.

The announcement was made in a press release that many of the previous restrictions were changing.  Here are some of the changes for the race this year:

If you are fully vaccinated, you will not need to wear a mask at the race and they will rely on a self-reporting/honor system.  They have announced that it will be a single start and that spectators will be allowed.

According to WIVB, there will be fewer runners for sure this year.  Normally there are about 8000 runners, but this year we will only see about 3000.

The Buffalo Marathon has been a favorite of runners over the years because it's a qualifier for people to get into the bigger Boston Marathon.  It's a pretty flat race too.  With fewer hills and valleys it makes it easier to get a faster time.  Plus, it's normally run on Memorial Day weekend so the temps are on the cooler side for an early run.

I ran the half marathon portion of the race twice a couple years ago.  It was a challenge for sure, but what an incredible experience to be out there running around the city that we love.  If you've never tried it, I definitely suggest you give it a try.  It takes a ton of training to get your body ready, but man is it ever a rewarding thing to say you've done.