The fourth St. Joseph Marathon is just over a week away from runners taking over the streets of the historic parkway system.
St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely says registration for the event thus far has gone well, gaining at least 125 runners over the past week, putting them on pace to pass the goal set going into this year's marathon.
"We had a goal this year to try and get to 700 registrations, and we're on pace to actually shatter that right now," Esely says. "So, we're excited about that."
Esely says while this is called the St. Joseph Marathon, you don't have to be a marathon runner to participate in the event.
"We offer a half marathon, a 10k, a 5k, and then a unique marathon relay team, which is actually a five-person team, in which each of the participants run a fifth of the marathon route," Esely explains. "So, for people that may want to see some different areas of the route, that maybe don't want to run the full marathon or another route that we offer, that's another way to get involved."
Participants in the race will begin at Civic Center Park and run from the north end of town to the south end of town, ending back at Civic Center Park, traveling the marathon along the historic parkway system in St. Joseph.
Esely says the parkway provides the perfect marathon route, utilizing about 18 miles of the system in the marathon route, for an event this time of year.
"When you're on the parkway there's just that sense of beauty, that sense of history, that sense of calmness, and if I feel that as a resident that's lived here all my life, imagine how a visitor feels when they come to town and they've never seen the route before," Esely says. "That first time when you see anything definitely makes the biggest impression, and the three biggest pieces of feedback we get every year, your routes scenic we love the parkway, my goodness those hills, and there's liveliness and your people are so friendly."
If you're not interested in running the marathon, Esely says volunteers are also needed for the event. The marathon is on September 26th, and you can register or volunteer to help by clicking HERE.
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