Vermont City Marathon facts for kids

The M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon (VCM) is a big running event. It happens every year in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Runners from all over the world come to take part. The first race was held on May 28, 1989. This exciting event is organized by RunVermont, which is a non-profit group. The race takes place on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

The Marathon's Story

The Vermont City Marathon started in 1989. It was the first marathon to include relay teams. This means groups of runners could team up to complete the race together. A relay team can have between 2 and 5 members.

The fastest time for men was set by Michael Khobotov in 2001. He finished the race in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 3 seconds. The women's record was set by Maegan Krifchin in 2023. Her time was 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 40 seconds.

In 2020, the in-person race was canceled. This was because of the coronavirus pandemic. Runners could choose to run the race virtually. They could also transfer their entry to a future year. In 2024, a new prize was added for the nonbinary division.

Hall of Fame for Runners

In 2008, the race started a Hall of Fame. It was renamed the RunVermont Hall of Fame. This special group honors people who have helped the race succeed. This includes the first Race Director, Gordon MacFarland. Long-time volunteers like Don and Betty Lacharite are also honored. Great runners from Vermont's history are included too. The Hall of Fame also celebrates 13 runners. These runners completed the full marathon for the first 19 years of the event. A full marathon is about 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles).

Different Ways to Run

Runners in the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon have choices. They can run the full marathon by themselves. They can also join a two-person relay team. Each person on this team runs a half marathon. Or, they can be part of a three-to-five person relay team. These teams run shorter sections, from 3.1 to 6.8 miles. The Vermont City Marathon was the first in the USA to always have a relay race with the full marathon.

Helping the Community

RunVermont is the group that organizes the marathon. It is a non-profit organization. This means they use their money to help people, not to make a profit. Their goal is to encourage running in Vermont.

RunVermont also puts on other races. These include the Half Marathon Unplugged and Island Vines 10k/5k. They also have training programs for adults. Plus, they offer running and health education programs for kids. These programs include Mini Milers, Mini Marathon, and Junior Milers.

Race Winners

Men's Winners

Year	Winner	Country	Time	Notes
1989	Joe Kreutz	United States	2:29:11	Course record
1990	Felix Pinto	Colombia	2:27:09	Course record
1992	Bob Hodge	United States	2:22:11	Course record
1993	Brad Hawthorne	United States	2:18:04	Course record
1994	Ángel Moreno	Mexico	2:21:34
1995	Michael Slinskey	United States	2:21:40
1996	Dan Verrington	United States	2:21:10
1997	Tim Schuler	United States	2:18:58
1998	Jerod Neas	United States	2:21:22
1999	Weldon Johnson	United States	2:24:45
2000	Greg Hill	United States	2:22:56
2001	Michael Khobotov	United States	2:17:03	Course record
2002	Chad Newton	United States	2:26:27
2003	Greg Wenneborg	United States	2:24:02
2004	Peter Fleming	United States	2:24:02
2005	Chris Juarez	United States	2:25:27
2006	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:24:27
2007	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:19:00	Second victory
2008	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:20:44	Third victory
2009	John Crews	United States	2:19:31
2010	John Crews	United States	2:17:51	Second victory
2011	Dan Vassallo	United States	2:24:09
2012	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:21:30	Fourth victory
2013	Christopher Zablocki	United States	2:18:24
2014	Tyler C. Andrews	United States	2:20:27
2015	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:19:12	Fifth victory
2016	Matt Pelletier	United States	2:23:02	Sixth victory
2017	Tyler C. Andrews	United States	2:19:41	Second victory
2018	Tyler C. Andrews	United States	2:17:44	Third victory
2019	Sergio Reyes	United States	2:17:40
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021	Virtual due to COVID-19
2022	Sergio Reyes	United States	2:19:50	Second victory
2023	Lou Serafini	United States	2:17:55
2024	Kiplangat Terer	United States	2:23:13
2025	Ryan Eiler	United States	2:17:04

Women's Winners

Year	Winner	Country	Time	Notes
1989	Lea Sikora	United States	2:48:22	Course record
1990	Shirley Silsby	United States	2:51:24
1992	Carol Virga	United States	2:47:28	Course record
1993	Laura Konantz	Canada	2:49:28
1994	Cindy New	Canada	2:43:52	Course record
1995	Gordon Bakoulis	United States	2:38:32	Course record
1996	Cindy New	Canada	2:48:16	Second victory
1997	Mary Lynn Carter	United States	2:42:20
1998	Gordon Bakoulis	United States	2:42:51	Second victory
1999	Regina Ronan	United States	2:49:14
2000	Charlene Lyford	United States	2:46:10
2001	Charlene Lyford	United States	2:54:33	Second victory
2002	Véronique Vandersmissen	Canada	2:41:20
2003	Heather Gardiner	United States	2:45:31
2004	Caryn Heffernan	United States	2:46:52
2005	Susan Loken	United States	2:51:09
2006	Heidi Westerling	United States	2:44:02
2007	Heidi Westerling	United States	2:48:56	Second victory
2008	Caroine Chemwolo	United States	2:47:38
2009	Heidi Westerling	United States	2:35:02	Course record; third victory
2010	Heidi Westover	United States	2:40:04	Fourth victory
2011	Heidi Westover	United States	2:46:49	Fifth victory
2012	Kasie Enman	United States	2:43:13	Highest-finishing Vermonter
2013	Heidi Westover	United States	2:42:02	Sixth victory
2014	Dihininet Demsew Jara	Ethiopia	2:43:14
2015	Kasie Enman	United States	2:49:03	Highest-finishing Vermonter; second victory
2016	Madeline Duhon	United States	2:50:07
2017	Kasie Enman	United States	2:50:26	Highest-finishing Vermonter; third victory
2018	Bizuwork Kasaye	Ethiopia	2:42:24
2019	Rachel Schilkowsky	United States	2:45:59
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021	Virtual due to COVID-19
2022	Annmarie Tuxbury	United States	2:39:18
2023	Maegan Krifchin	United States	2:33:40	Course record
2024	Hannah Rowe	United States	2:46:56
2025	Margaret Vido	United States	2:41:12

Winners by Country

Country	Men's Open	Women's Open	Total
United States	28	24	50
Colombia	1	0	1
Mexico	1	0	1
Canada	0	4	4
Ethiopia	0	2	2
Kenya	1	0	1

Runners with Multiple Wins