Shelter Island 10K Celebrates 35th Year with Boston Marathon Winner Meb Keflezighi

The 35th annual Shelter Island Run 10K will be held this Saturday, June 21, at 5:30 p.m. and 2014 Boston Marathon winner Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi will be competing in this year’s race.

Keflezighi is the first American male to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years. He is also the 2009 New York City Marathon winner, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist and finished 4th place in the 2012 Olympic Marathon

The Shelter Island Run 10K has a long history of attracting elite runners from over the world. Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist, will also run this year’s race. Keflezighi and Samuelson will be present for a host of community-minded running events throughout the weekend, including an informal talk at the Shelter Island School on Friday at 4 p.m. and book signings in the gym on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Shelter Island 10K has been touted as one of the country’s most beautiful runs by Runners World Magazine. With a pre-sunset start time of 5:30 pm, the beauty of the Shelter Island 10K Run showcases the picturesque views of the harbor, abundance of nature and the exceptionally warm community. The run starts at the Shelter Island High School, and continues along past St. Mary’s Episcopal Church past Ram Island Road with breath-taking views of Gardiners Bay and Coecles Harbor then continuing into Dering Harbor. The final stretch is along Route 114, “Joey’s Mile,” dedicated to Lt. Joseph Theinert who was killed in action in Afghanistan. The local community lines the final mile with small American flags in an effort to inspire runners to push toward a strong finish at the Shelter Island High School athletic field. The 10K is followed by the 5K community walk at 5:45 p.m. And a post-race party by SALT Restaurant at The Island Boatyard. Registered runners can partake in the free BBQ buffet and non-runners can indulge for $20.

Pre-registration is strongly suggested as the race is limited to 2,500 and participants are accepted on first come first served basis. Runners can sign up at shelterislandrun.com or nycruns.com for $38. The race benefits: East End Hospice offering home health care and short term hospital care; the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch, which provides a safe haven for boys ages 10-21 who are in need of a therapeutic environment, and offers a Christian home living with farm/ranch atmosphere; and the Shelter Island Run Community Fund, serving the needs of the Shelter Island community for over 25 years.

Sponsors include Shelter Island Environmental, Shelter Island Ferry, South Ferry Co, Hampton Jitney, Jet Blue Airways, Saunders & Associates, Frank J. Adipietro Jr. M.D. Interventional Pain Management Center, the Shelter Island Reporter, The Hackett Family, Apple Honda, New York RoadRunners and the Chequit Inn. The YES network will cover the program through Running HD.