9/17/2009 - West Side Leader
By Sean Patrick
GREATER AKRON — The Road Runner Akron Marathon, set for Sept. 26 through the streets of Akron, is always a very popular event. This year, however, it is proving to be more popular than ever.
The 26.2-mile marathon, as well as the Novo Nordisk 5-Person Team Relay and Half Marathon, will begin at 7 a.m. on South Broadway Street in Downtown Akron. The finish line is at Canal Park Stadium, located on South Main Street.
It is so popular, in fact, that the 5-Person Team Relay event already is sold out and the Half Marathon, which has a cap of 3,000 runners, is well on its way to selling out as well, according to Anne Bitong, executive director of the event.
“This is an incredible situation to be in,” said Bitong. “Our team was forecasting conservative registration this year due to the economy, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the increase in registration numbers. Because of this, we had to place a cap on the registration.”
Online registration for the Half Marathon is slated to end Sept. 21 — or sooner if the cap is reached.
The Novo Nordisk 5-Person Team Relay was capped at 5,000 participants in May.
“The 5,000 relay cap was reached this morning,” Bitong said Sept. 14, “and registration for the 5-Person Team Relay is now closed.”
Race organizers say they fully expect the Half Marathon also to sell out.
“Online registration for the full and half marathon is still open until Monday, Sept. 21,” Bitong said. “Since we have reached our relay cap, we are seeing many runners upgrade to the Half [Marathon] and expect our Half Marathon registration to grow by the hundreds over the next couple of days, nearing our 3,000 Half Marathon cap.”
Bitong said she strongly suggests interested runners register as soon as possible to make sure they don’t get left out.
“We get 100 registrations a day,” she said. “We are at about 2,300 right now.”
There are several reasons why the number of participants is capped, Bitong said.
“We want to provide every runner a world-class experience, and capping our events allows us to plan for the appropriate number of T-shirts, medallions and goodie bags,” she stated.
According to Bitong, the cost to participate in the Half Marathon online is $65. The price will increase to $85 for anyone who registers at The University of Akron Health & Fitness Expo, which will take place Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the John S. Knight Center. The expo, which is free and open to the public, will feature more than 80 exhibitor booths.
The final race registration and packet pickup will be available at the expo, Bitong said, as will official race merchandise featuring Brooks licensed apparel.
Also taking place Sept. 25 at the Knight Center will be a Pasta Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Hosted by the Summit Athletic Running Club, the party costs $15 per person, with children 3 and younger admitted free of charge.
“We are expecting record numbers of runners, volunteers and spectators this year and encourage race participants to be in the Downtown Akron area no later than 6:30 a.m. on race morning,” Bitong said. “Directional signage from the major expressways will be in place leading runners to suggested parking areas.”
Bitong said the “mass start” will take place at 7 a.m. and the course will close at 1 p.m.
“We would like to invite the entire community to join us along the marathon course to cheer on our record field of runners,” she said. “For those heading to the finish line at Canal Park Stadium, please be sure to sign up for our text-message timing alert service, which will send you a text regarding your runner’s progress along the course and anticipated finishing time.”
According to Jim Barnett, executive race director for the Road Runner Akron Marathon, this year’s marathon will feature several new enhancements.
“The new Half Marathon course is an exciting challenge for runners looking to push themselves, while allowing participants to enjoy the same fun start with full marathoners,” said Barnett. “Not only is it a beautiful new addition, but it gives runners a chance to test their athleticism and take it to the next level.”
The first 11.2 miles of the course will follow the full marathon, then runners will travel southbound 0.8 mile through Akron’s Towpath Trail extension, a part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Barnett said this diversion from the Innerbelt gives runners a look at the “picturesque wooded landscapes tucked into the heart of the city.”
There also are several changes to the Novo Nordisk 5-Person Team Relay, including the move from Wilbeth Road to High Street for relay point two and the decrease in distance from Sand Run Parkway, at leg four, from 3.1 to 2.8 miles.
“Because of these distance changes, relay runners at the second point now have an opportunity to park downtown, allowing them to walk to their location instead of taking a bus,” Barnett said. “They can then run their leg and easily walk to the finish line.”
In addition, there will be transportation from relay points four and five provided by the Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Bitong said planning for the annual event requires a lot of hard work from many people.
“The amount of planning and effort that goes into making a world-class sporting event like this happen is enormous,” Bitong said. “But we love the challenge and the opportunity to provide runners with a fun, exciting race that they can be proud of. That’s why we call the Road Runner Akron Marathon the ‘People’s Race.’”
Also during the marathon, only a few streets will be completely closed and traffic will be restricted on several other streets. For details, visit www.akronmarathon.org.
For details or to register, call (330) 375-2786 (2RUN), e-mail info@akronmarathon.org or visit www.akronmarathon.org.
