Albany marathon donates $25K to Willson Hospice House

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Following the success of the 12th annual Albany Marathon and Half Marathon, the board of directors presented a ceremonial check of $25,000 to Willson Hospice House.

Since the inaugural race in 2006, Albany Marathon Inc. has been able to consistently donate to Willson Hospice House.

The 2019 Snickers Marathon medals, which were revealed Wednesday, will feature new designs.

The new medals feature the Ray Charles Plaza in Downtown Albany, one of the many historic sites runners will see along the 26-point-2 mile race route.

One of the medals in the upcoming Snickers Marathon. (Source: WALB)

Organizers said they chose the plaza to continue the tradition of highlighting significant areas around the city.

The 2018 design was based on the Third Avenue Oaks and Albany’s recovery from the January 2017 tornadoes.

When: March 2, 2019, 7 a.m.
Marathon route: Click here.
Registration: Click here.

Race Director Rachelle Beasley said after the historic “3rd Avenue Oaks” photo last year, they knew they had to pick something unique to Albany.

Beasley said the event is two fold: it raises money for the Willson Hospice House and it brings the community together.

“We’re always good at coming together when we have a devastation and the marathon is one time a year where we can all come together and have a very successful event that draws visitors both locally throughout the United States and internationally,” she said.

Beasley said Hurricane Michael did not impact the race route.

Organizers toured the route for debris.

Beasley said damage caused the storm is similar to what they dealt with in 2017 after the January tornadoes, but none of the damage is in the way of the race.

“It was not perfect, but at the same time our racers knew that we had a devastation and they were very excited to come participate and support our town and make sure that we still had a successful event,” Beasley said.

The course is the same as last year.