Islander to run marathon Sunday — on Shelter Island

Year-round Island resident Alex Graham was supposed to run the prestigious Big Sur Marathon in California this coming weekend on Sunday.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the marathon and her trip have been cancelled. She trained for over a year, and this would’ve been her first marathon ever.

Every runner knows how difficult it is to train for a race and then not be able to run it because of circumstances beyond their control.

That said, many friends have encouraged Ms. Graham to complete her training and still run her marathon on Shelter Island, which she plans to do on this Sunday, April 26, with an estimated start time of 10 or 10:30 a.m.

While she and her friends are not encouraging any gatherings or violations of social distancing, if people want to cheer for Ms. Graham, we would recommend doing so safely from within their cars. We’re including four locations and approximate times that she will pass by (see below).

Although she’s not specifically asking for donations for this run, a lot of you are aware of the work she’s been doing to support the community. Ms. Graham and Brett Surerus recently started the Shelter Island Action Alliance, an organization raising money to support our local restaurant community and provide meals for local healthcare workers, and others in need.

To support her, please donate to the Shelter Island Action Alliance at (Venmo:@ShelterIsland-ActionAlliance), or checks can be made out to Shelter Island Action Alliance and sent to P.O. Box 452, Shelter Island NY 11964).

To cheer Ms. Graham on:

Estimated times by location

Whale’s Tale: 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Ram’s Head Inn: 11:20 a.m.– 11:40 a.m.

Crescent Beach: 2:10 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Wades Beach Finish Line: 2:40 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.