Date/Time: Saturday, November 8 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: The Americus Hotel, 555 Hamilton St, Allentown, PA, 18101. Map.
Metered street parking is also available at kiosks on each block.
The Americus Hotel is the official 2025 Host Hotel for St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest. Only a few blocks from the marathon start line, it’s the most convenient place to get a restful night of sleep before your big race. You’ll be able to pick up your bib and shirt and visit a variety of vendors and attend educational presentations at the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest Expo. (Race day pick up is available for an extra fee when you registered.)
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
St. Luke’s Precision Medicine DNA Answers
St. Luke’s Physical Therapy & Running Institute
Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley
Lehighton Outdoor Center & Bike Shop
9:30AM— Yoga for Runners & Walkers
Presenter: Hali Goldman
Description: In this Yoga session we will gently stretch the lower body through guided poses and find our focus through breathwork. Prepare your mind and body for the race.
Bio: I am an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor since 1998. I teach a variety of classes including Cycle, Pilates, Yoga and Body Sculpt. When I am not training clients or teaching classes you can find me on my bike, I love distance road cycling!
10:00AM— RaceFest Full & Half Marathon Course Overview
Presenter: Michael Drabenstott
10:30AM— Muscle Meets Mileage: Optimizing Performance Through Strength
Presenter: Brian Zarbatany BS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Description: All runners run. But do all runner’s train? Learn the easiest and quickest ways to improve your running efficiency through mobility and strength training.
Bio: Brian is an award winning personal trainer that has been in the field for over 30 years. Brian has trained clients ranging from post rehabilitation to professional athletes. A graduate of Lock Haven University, Brian is currently the Regional Manager for St. Luke’s Fitness and Sports Performance.
Presenter: Martha Capwell Fox
Description: Runners and walkers in the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest’s Marathon, and Half Marathon Run and Walk will be following a route through the industrial and transportation history of the Lehigh Valley.
Most of the race course is on a Lehigh Canal towpath section of the D&L Trail from Allentown to Easton. For more than 100 years, young drivers walked their mules on the towpath, pulling canal boats loaded with the anthracite coal that powered America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Two Lehigh Navigation locktenders houses and the remains of several locks can be seen from the Trail. Along the way the course passes industrial sites including Mack Truck’s first factory and the former Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, parallels an active rail yard and runs under two massive and historic concrete bridges. Near the finish line, it touches the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers as well of the two canals.
Bio: Martha Capwell Fox is the Historian for the National Canal Museum and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. She is the author of the industrial history of the D&L Corridor, Geography, Geology, and Genius: How Coal and Canals Ignited the American Industrial Revolution. Previously, Martha presented three papers at Canal History and Technology Symposia: on the silk industry in the D&L Corridor, a biographical sketch of 19th century entrepreneur Jose de Navarro, and an industrial history of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, the site of the first commercially successful anthracite iron furnace.
A graduate of American University with a dual degree in international relations and U.S. history, Martha worked in the library at the National Geographic Society, and as a researcher and editor at Rodale, Inc. She has published three books on the histories of Catasauqua, Whitehall and Coplay, and co-authored one on the cement industry in the Lehigh Valley, as well as three young adult histories of swimming, auto racing, and the Vatican.
Presenter: Elliot Beadle
Description: Learn about practical nutrition tips for fueling properly leading up to your run, during your run and post-run. We will also discuss common sports nutrition products used by endurance athletes.
Bio: Elliot is a 2012 Graduate from Bloomsburg University with a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science and a 2014 Graduate from West Chester University with a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. He is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist and a Registered and Licensed Dietitian.
As a Sports and Performance Dietitian Nutritionist, he provides evidence-based information for how to eat properly to fuel activity. Currently he provides group and individual sessions for topics such as sport-specific nutrition recommendations, nutrient timing, improving body composition, calculating energy needs and evaluating sports supplements.
Being active and staying healthy are his passions, so in his free time he enjoys exercising, playing with his two daughters and experimenting with new healthy recipes.
Lehigh River Sojourn – Your 2026 Agenda for a Guided Paddling Adventure
Presenter: Gary Blockus
Bio: Gary Blockus is a former sports and outdoors writer for The Morning Call and currently serves as a Corporate Communications Partner with St. Luke’s University Health Network. He has been involved with the Lehigh River Sojourn since 2009 as either a participant (along with his family) or as a member of the steering committee. He serves on the Board of Directors for Wildlands Conservancy, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, and the Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League.
Presenter: Andrew Yasenchak
Description:
My presentation will consist of a 10-minute mobility and activation routine to help you move better, feel better and perform better on race day.
Program bio: St. Luke’s RUNstrong Program is a structured, year-round strength program for runners aimed at improving running performance, reducing injury risk, and building stronger, more agile runners. Appropriate for any level and training program (from 5k-marathon).
Personal bio: Andrew Yasenchak is a Sr. Sports Performance Coach with St. Luke’s University Health Network. He is CSCS certified and has his M.S. in Exercise Science from PennWest California along with his B.S. in Kinesiology from Penn State University.
Andrew loves to share his knowledge and passion to motivate and teach individuals how to conquer their goals in and out of the weight room. He strives to be a reliable resource for local runners looking to implement strength training into their weekly routine in order to look better, feel better and perform better.
Presenter: Jessica Edris
Description: Jessica Edris, Project Administrator of Lehigh Valley 250, will share the highlights of this region-wide collaboration celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by shining a light on the Lehigh Valley’s revolutionary past and vibrant present. This session shares how local historians, artists, and community leaders turned an idea into a movement—creating exhibits, events, and partnerships that honor our shared heritage and invite everyone to be part of this once-in-a-generation celebration.
Bio: Jessica Edris, a graduate of Moravian University with degrees in Business and Philosophy, is a long-time Lehigh Valley resident and has built her career in nonprofit leadership with expertise in development, marketing, communications, strategic planning, and organizational vitality—roles that laid the foundation for the launch of Good Collective, a regional consulting firm she founded that helps mission-driven organizations build capacity through leadership coaching, fractional staffing, and program and advancement strategy.
Jessica has been recognized with the Emerging Leader Award from Moravian University, where she also served as Past President of the Alumni Association and on the Alumni Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Boards of Notre Dame High School, the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Business Council, and Humanitarian Social Innovations.
As part of her work in the community, Jessica leads the collaboration Lehigh Valley 250, a celebration of culture, arts, and history, that brings together community partners to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Presenter: Martha Capwell Fox
Description: Runners and walkers in the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest’s Marathon, and Half Marathon Run and Walk will be following a route through the industrial and transportation history of the Lehigh Valley.
2:00PM— Common Running Injuries and How Physical Therapy Can Help Keep You Running
Presenter: Will Updegrove
Description: Learn about common running injuries, what causes them and how to help prevent them. See how the Running Center and Physical Therapy can help manage these injuries.
Bio: Will earned his undergraduate degree and Doctor of Physical Therapy at Widener University. While at Widener, Will ran cross-country and track & field and was an assistant coach for the teams while earning his physical therapy degree. He is the Clinical Coordinator of The Running Center at Physical Therapy at St. Luke’s. Will specializes in treating athletes of all abilities and is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy.
The Race Expo is a key part of St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest, taking place the day before the main races. It serves as the official site for bib and shirt pickup and offers participants the opportunity to explore a variety of vendors focused on running gear, nutrition, and local products. Attendees can also enjoy educational presentations and connect with fellow runners. The expo creates a lively and informative environment to help participants prepare, engage, and get excited for race day.
