From a bold idea to a movement uniting all ages, Garden Spot races have become more than a competition—they’re a celebration of community.
Written by Juanita Fox, director of media experiences and storytelling
ACROSS FINISH LINES AND DECADES, A SIMPLE DREAM SPARKED A TRADITION THAT CONTINUES TO CONNECT GENERATIONS—MILE AFTER MILE.
When Scott Miller turned 50, he decided he wanted to run a marathon. He registered for the Harrisburg Marathon in 2007 and began training. He quickly discovered a community of runners who supported each other as they endured the highs and lows of running 26.2 miles. He realized that many of these runners were also in their 50s—a demographic Garden Spot Village was looking to attract as future residents. He began to wonder if Garden Spot Village could host a marathon as a marketing opportunity. There was no competition in the county for spring marathons, and the rolling back roads of Eastern Lancaster County would offer a challenging course.
He pitched the idea to Garden Spot’s leadership team and they laughed. Scott remembers, “Nobody could understand why anyone would want to run 26.2 miles.” It turns out, running is contagious. Since that first conversation, many Garden Spot Village residents and team members have completed half marathons and marathons.
After multiple conversations, Scott says, “The leadership team said, if I want to try it, go for it.” Scott began to engage team members and residents to join him in his audacious vision to create an intergenerational, purposeful event where the Garden Spot Village community could serve and interact with a new community.
After many hours of discussions and planning, the first Garden Spot Village Marathon and four-leg marathon relay was held in April 2009. Approximately 350 people registered for the race, which was certified as a Boston Marathon qualifier. In the first year, the team learned a great deal about runners, themselves and how to host a successful race. Scott and the team took time to debrief, learn from their mistakes and adjust for the next year. The 2010 race involved more runners and more resident volunteers as the community began to embrace the vision. Garden Spot quickly established a reputation for hosting a high-quality event that drew participants from around the world.
Over the years, the crowds of runners drew crowds of residents who volunteered to direct traffic, ring cowbells, award medals and generally act as gracious hosts for the guests.
At the runners’ request, a half marathon was added in 2010. Around that same time, the race director of the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon approached Garden Spot with the idea of a Road Apple Award. The idea was to create a unique award representative of Lancaster County Amish Country. The award was unveiled in 2012. If runners completed one of the spring Garden Spot Village races and the fall Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon, they were presented with the Road Apple Award: purified, sanitized and preserved, “poop on a plaque.” The Road Apple Award is still an extremely popular “bonus” for runners.
In 2015, the Garden Spot Village Marathon Relay was replaced by the Kids Marathon. Kids ran 25 miles at their own pace and accumulated distance during the first several months before the Garden Spot race day. The night before the marathon, the kids completed the last mile of their marathon. The kids get a shirt, a medal and the large race finish line experience. Today, Girls on the Run Lancaster hosts a Kids Fun Run the night before the Half Marathon & 10K. Upwards of 75 kids run each year and enjoy treats like Achenbach’s long johns when they are done.
Memorable people and events have marked the last nearly 20 years of races. In 2013, English Runner Rima Chai ran the marathon, dragging a 22-pound tire to promote conservation and sustainability.
In 2016, a rare early-April snow dropped six inches of snow as the race started. Despite the freezing temperatures, Amish runners still ran barefoot. Many, many runners still reminisce about the snowy race—saying it was their favorite event ever.
In 2019, the race committee replaced the marathon with a 10K course to reflect a declining interest in full marathons and frequent requests for a shorter race option. In 2020 the race was moved to a virtual run due to COVID. In 2021, the runners were back, albeit with masks and limited resident interaction. On April 11, 2026, Garden Spot looks forward to hosting more than 1,000 runners once more.
While the event has raised funds for the Garden Spot Village Benevolent Fund over the years, the race’s biggest impact has been on the generations of people who have participated. Several runners who first learned about Garden Spot Village during a race have subsequently moved to the community. Many residents faithfully served the runners and welcomed back familiar faces year after year. Other residents caught the running contagion and signed up to complete half marathons and marathons in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Team members never imagined working for an organization that would challenge them to try
new things like running a marathon or working together to host an amazing event.
Scott and Juanita discussed the origin of the marathon as well as stories from past marathons as part of our spring 2026 season for the Purpose In Retirement Podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.
Juanita Fox, director of media experiences and storytelling for Garden Spot Communities, brings a wealth of marketing and storytelling experience. She is the managing editor for Destination Magazine as well as the co-host for Garden Spot’s Purpose in Retirement Podcast.