A Brief History
The Catskills Mountain Marathon began in July of 1998 as an unsanctioned, informal race among a handful of local runners. Thirty-two people started the first edition; twenty-eight finished. The race has been held every year since, with the exception of 2020.
The Beginning
The original race was the idea of Tom Werner, a retired schoolteacher from Shandaken who wanted a proper mountain marathon in the eastern Catskills. He plotted the first course himself using a USGS topo map and a length of string. The entry fee was $10 and included a bowl of chili at the finish.
Tom directed the race until 2014, when he handed the reins to Gary Martin. Tom passed away in 2019 at the age of 81. The mile 16 aid station is named in his honor.
Course Changes
- 1998–2003. Original course. Out-and-back on Woodland Valley Road with an added loop on the Phoenicia rail trail to reach 26.2.
- 2004. Slide Mountain fire road reopened after storm damage; course rerouted to include the climb. This is the course most runners today would recognize.
- 2017. Bridge washout on Woodland Valley Road forced a detour for miles 22–24. Detour remained in place for the 2017 race only.
- 2018. Current course established. Minor adjustments in 2021 (added 0.1 mi to correct a measurement error) and 2026 (temporary detour for bridge repair, miles 22–23).
Past Overall Winners
| Year | Men’s Winner | Time | Women’s Winner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dan Pritchard | 2:54:08 | Sarah Okonkwo | 3:12:22 |
| 2024 | Miguel Reyes | 2:58:41 | Sarah Okonkwo | 3:11:04 |
| 2023 | Dan Pritchard | 2:55:30 | Lisa Bergman | 3:18:55 |
| 2022 | Miguel Reyes | 2:57:12 | Sarah Okonkwo | 3:09:47 * |
| 2021 | Bill Hartnett | 3:04:02 | Rachel Dunn | 3:22:11 |
| 2020 | Race not held — pandemic | |||
| 2019 | Dan Pritchard | 2:51:14 * | Rachel Dunn | 3:19:02 |
| 2018 | Kevin O’Brien | 2:58:55 | Rachel Dunn | 3:24:40 |
| 2017 | Kevin O’Brien | 3:01:22 | Emma Liu | 3:31:18 |
| 2016 | Kevin O’Brien | 2:59:08 | Emma Liu | 3:28:44 |
* denotes course record
Complete results going back to 1998 are available on the Past Results page.