PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Discovery Marathon and Half-Marathon could bring as many as 2,000 runners to the Peninsula the weekend of June 11-12, Port Angeles Marathon Association president Larry Little says.
“After two years, the word of mouth is amazing,” Little said.
“What I’ve seen is races struggle in their second and third years, but ours is the exact opposite of that.”
The marathon and half-Marathon will start at 9 a.m. June 12.
The 26.2-mile marathon begins at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim. The 13.1-mile half-marathon starts at Robin Hill Farm County Park between Sequim and Port Angeles.
Both routes, which use the Olympic Discovery Trail, finish at City Pier in Port Angeles.
This year’s event also will feature a high school relay, middle school relay and kids marathon, which will be held on June 11.
Including the middle school and high school relay events, the marathon and half-marathon have attracted 333 registrants so far, Little said.
Last year, the marathon and half-marathon attracted a combined 1,050 runners. The race had drawn 76 registrants by this time in 2004 and 18 at this point in 2003, its first year.
‘From all over the place’
“We are still getting calls from all over the place. Our local participant numbers are up significantly, also,” Little said.
“More people around here are getting excited about long distance running.
“We have four teams from outside the area for the high school relay, so we’ve got a race there.”
After considering a cap of 1,200 to 1,400 runners earlier this year because of funding uncertainties, the race’s organizing committee decided to plan for the higher attendance number.
Little said according to national averages, each runner brings an average of 3.8 other people to a marathon.
A survey of runners at last year’s race shows each participant brought an average of four others, he said.
That same survey showed the runners and the people they brought with them stayed for as long as a week in hotels and motels throughout the region, Little said.
“So if we get 2,000 runners, that could be 8,000 people staying here for up to a week,” he said.
