Bangor will host its first USA Track & Field-certified marathon and half marathon this summer.
The inaugural Great Bangor Marathon & Half will take place on Sunday, June 23 at 7 a.m. Registration for both races is open now.
The 26.2-mile marathon will begin at the Cross Insurance Center on Main Street and take runners though downtown Bangor, along Valley Avenue to Broadway, according to the race website. Participants will then turn around in the town of Kenduskeag and follow the same path before ending at the Paul Bunyan statue outside the Cross Insurance Center.
The 13.1-mile half marathon will follow the same course, but turn around on outer Broadway shortly after Pushaw Road.
The race will offer cash prizes for the first, second and third place finishers in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The races are sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank and are USA Track & Field and Boston Marathon-certified, meaning the course was measured to ensure they’re the accurate distances.
A road race result can only be accepted as a record or be nationally ranked if it was run on a USA Track & Field-certified course, according to the organization.
Maine is home to several other marathon races throughout the year, including the Maine Coast Marathon in Wells, the Maine Marathon in Portland and the Mount Desert Island Marathon in Bar Harbor. In Penobscot County, Lincoln and Millinocket will host marathon races in September and December, respectively.
