Charles Mancino, 27, is taking part in the New York City Marathon on Sunday.

FREDONIA — The New York City marathon is any marathon runner’s dream.

Because of her solid time at September’s Boston Marathon, Fredonia resident Jackie Correale has qualified to compete in the New York City Marathon in the future. But this year’s iteration of the event will not be without Chautauqua County representation.

Fredonia native Charles Mancino will be competing in this weekend’s event, based on his qualifying time he ran in the Chicago Marathon in 2019. For Mancino, it’s an event that carries a lot of significance to him.

“It’s exciting,” said Mancino, “Of the three World Marathon Majors held in the United States, which includes the Chicago, Boston, and New York City Marathons, New York City is the hardest to qualify for, and I only qualified by less than a half second per mile.”

Mancino, now 27, began running during middle school when he attended Fredonia. His older brother began running a few years before him, which inspired Mancino to run in his brother’s footsteps. While his brother is taking a hiatus from marathon running, he’s also the one who got Mancino started running in marathons, competing in the Pittsburgh Marathon with him in 2018.

Mancino is a graduate of Kettering University in Michigan, and now works for Stellantis, meaning marathon running is just a hobby for him. When he started running, it was a way for him to stay in shape, but as he’s advanced, he’s begun to care more about his running times, which have been quality even since he started.

“It helped me get in shape,” Mancino said. “I wasn’t that in shape when I first started running. Usually, we do things by doing time trials, and I remember my first-time trial, I ran an 8:33 mile and I’m almost two minutes faster now. I’m quite happy about that.”

Mancino usually runs two mid-distance runs per week when training for an event, then three easier runs and one long run. He runs year round, but starts preparing for events four or five months in advance. Preparation for the New York City Marathon is a different beast, especially when you factor in Mancino’s injury history.

“The New York City Marathon is a notoriously hard and slow course given the bridges and rolling hills runners face,” Mancino said. “The average finishing time is about four minutes slower than the average finishing time in the Chicago Marathon.”

“I’m really prone to injury,” Mancino said. “I’ve been hurt quite a few times. I ran the Detroit Marathon in 2018 with a badly injured right leg. So far, I’ve been pretty good in this training in that I haven’t been badly injured. I’m thankful for that.”

The New York City Marathon will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 8:30 a.m. and Mancino will be departing in the first wave at 9:10 a.m. While Mancino isn’t a professional runner, he knows the importance the New York City Marathon holds, even to an amateur runner.

“It means I can run with the pros,” Mancino said. “I would call myself an amateur runner. There’s a difference between running a world major and the Olympic trials but for someone who is an amateur runner, this means a lot.”

Mancino departed for New York City on Wednesday, a place which he has never been before, meaning that his experience will be memorable regardless of how he does in the race.

“Right now, I’m more excited than nervous,” Mancino said. “I’ll be nervous later in the week.”

In addition to celebrating the return of the New York City Marathon after a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. The New York City Marathon will be Sunday.