On May 3, thousands of runners are expected to show their athletic prowess at the Long Island Marathon. Among those runners is Westbury’s Will Shelley, who will be running the course for the 11th time.
For Shelley, the event has a personal connection. Growing up, the marathon route went by his house and his family would stand alongside Wantagh Parkway to cheer runners on.
“It’s definitely nice that I can run in the same spot where I remember as a little kid, cheering on other runners,” Shelley said. “My parents still stand there in the same spot, and the only difference now is that their son is running.”
Seeing his parents on the route is a personal highlight for him as he runs the 26.2 mile course, as is seeing his wife cheering for him on Post Avenue.
While he has participated in a few other long-distance runs, including the Hamptons Marathon and Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, he said the familiarity of the Long Island Marathon route keeps him coming back.
“It’s home,” Shelley said. “I know exactly where I am at all points. I grew up on Long Island so it’s not like I’m in a strange place.”
Though this is his 11th time running, Shelley said each marathon experience is different. And last year’s marathon experience was definitely memorable. In August 2013, while Shelley was training for a marathon, he was hit by a car. He had five broken bones and had to undergo collarbone surgery, followed by three months of recovery. As soon as he was able to, he got right back to training.
“Last year my time was over four hours, which was my worst time, but it was the most significant race I ran, because I went through some pretty horrendous stuff,” Shelley said. “But I couldn’t even think about not doing it. I would feel like I was missing out or causing myself a disservice if I didn’t. Overcoming the results of the accident and proving to myself and everybody I could do it was something very important to me.”
To prepare for the marathon, Shelley undergoes 18 weeks of training. This includes five days of running and one of cross training, which usually means cycling. He opts for running outside instead of on a treadmill, since it is more realistic of what the marathon experience is like.
“A treadmill can become very boring, but when you’re outside you’re against the same type of elements you’ll be against in a race like wind, uphills, downhills, roads,” Shelley said.
He runs anywhere from three to 20 miles a day through the streets of Westbury and Carle Place. And training doesn’t stop when the cold temperatures hit.
“We went through a brutal winter when it was about eight degrees, but I was outside,” Shelley said. “It was rough, but I was always looking at the reason I was doing it.”
Shelley usually finishes the marathon anywhere between three hours and 15 minutes to three hours and 30 minutes. He said this year he’s hoping to break the three-hour mark, but at the end of the day, the marathon is about the experience.
“I don’t have anything to prove except to myself,” he said. “You’re not running against anybody or trying to beat anybody. It’s a personal accomplishment that I’m incredibly proud of every year.”
