2. 1928: Elm Street — Coney Island

While the Port Chester Marathon was seen as the main marathon in NYC, that did not stop other smaller marathons from happening. The Italian newspaper Il Progresso sponsored a marathon from Elm Street in Manhattan to Brooklyn’s Coney Island. This marathon is noteworthy due to the amount of injuries suffered by the runners in this marathon. Street closures did not happen to much in those days and runners were hit by oncoming traffic.