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With only four more weeks until the OBX ® Marathon weekend, details are being addressed to ensure that this year’s event will run more smoothly than last year’s highly successful race week.
"Changes planned for this year are based on comments and suggestions made by last year’s participants, runners and spectators,’’ explains Robyn Keenan, Event Coordinator.
One such change is the location of the finish line. Instead of finishing the race at the high school in Manteo, runners will cross the finish line in downtown Manteo and stroll along the waterfront to Festival Park where a variety of family-oriented activities has been arranged.
"Last year’s runners indicated they needed more space for their `cool off’ walks at the end of the race than what was available at the high school so we changed the finish line slightly to give them some of the most beautiful scenery for that walk,’’ adds Keenan.
Also, race organizers are streamlining the shuttle service so spectators need only park their vehicles in one location along the race route and take a shuttle anywhere along that route at any time to avoid traffic congestion.
The November race weekend will feature the OBX ® Marathon presented by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau (OBVB) on Sunday, November 11, along with the Gateway Bank Half Marathon, which offer over $26,000 in prize money for winners in an array of categories. A Fun Run will be sponsored by the Kelly’s Hospitality Group the day before, November 10, to encourage everyone to think about the health benefits of exercise.
Athletes from around the world will use the official 26.2 mile race as a USA Track and Field Association (USATF) certified and sanctioned qualifier for the Olympic Trials and the Boston Marathon. USATF has named the OBX ® Marathon as its North Carolina Association Championship event.
Marathon officials are interviewed on Max Media’s Beach 104 every Thursday at 8:10 a.m. to discuss details about the marathon of interest to runners and spectators. Max Media is the official radio sponsor for the Marathon and the Half Marathon.
For the Fun Run, participants are asked to complete the final leg of a marathon at the First Flight High School track in Kill Devil Hills that they started and ran in segments leading up to race day. The Fun Run can be run or walked by participants. The event, involving people of all skill levels, is sponsored by Mako Mike’s, Penguin Isle and Kelly’s, restaurants owned by Mike Kelly, one of the event’s organizers.
Anyone wishing to keep up-to-date on the latest developments related to the Fun Run need only tune in to one of CapSan’s four local radio stations, 99.1 The Sound, 104.9 Classic Hits, Wilbur 92.3 and Orville 97.1. Each Tuesday, Fun Run information is discussed from 8 a.m. through 8:30 a.m. on those stations.
OBVB has again awarded an event grant to organizers to repeat last year’s inaugural marathon success. Race weekend organizers see this event as an exciting highlight of fall on the Outer Banks, creating a come and stay atmosphere for the race weekend or perhaps the entire week. It offers an opportunity for the entire community to become involved as sponsors, cheering squads, entertainers, and race crew volunteers. Accommodations information for visitors is available on the OBVB website, www.outerbanks.org.
Marathon organizers have something more at stake than just running a good race. They intend to raise money for two local charities. Proceeds raised by the event benefit both the Dare Education Foundation and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.
The committee is still soliciting sponsors and volunteers for the event. Anyone wishing to become involved as a sponsor, as a planning committee member or as a race day volunteer should contact Event Coordinator Robyn Keenan at 252-261-6296 or eventcoordinator@obxmarathon.org or Amy Montgomery, Executive Director of the Dare Education Foundation, at 252-255-5545 or amy@dareeducationfoundation.org.
Persons wishing to register for the Marathon, Half Marathon or the Fun Run or who need more information should go to the official website at www.obxmarathon.org.
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