Former Smithtown Resident to Run His 25th LI Marathon

A former Smithtown resident is preparing to run in his 25th Long Island Marathon this Sunday despite facing one of his worst running injuries in recent years. 

Newsday  reports Steve Lerner, 57, will be returning to Long Island from Virginia to participate in the Long Island Marathon for his 25th consecutive time. While not an official record, Lerner believes he may have the longest streak of participation in the race, which started in 1973. 

This year, the seasoned runner will face a personal challenge. Lerner has a strained calf muscle that he called "one of my worst injuries in five, six years."  But he won't let it him down - not much.  

Lerner started running on Nov. 11, 1988 while living in Smithtown, working for the now-defunct Record World chain, and claims to have not missed a day since. He's finished 73 marathons and, as of Monday, has run 72,036 miles. 

The first time Lerner ran the Long Island Marathon in 1989, he finished with a respectable time of 3 hours 36 minutes and 29 seconds. 

The Long Island Marathon will take place this Sunday at Nassau County's Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. 

Read more on Newsday [subscription required] about Lerner's path to becoming a marathon runner.