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Keith McCord ReportingA lot of people are going to be eating pasta in Salt Lake tonight. They want all the energy they can for tomorrow's Salt Lake City Marathon!
This marathon is young, this is only the second year it's been held, and what a difference a year makes. The numbers of runners is up from last year. The prize money is up 25% from last year. This race is getting a lot of attention!
Rocky Anderson, SLC Mayor: "After the first marathon last year Runners World named this marathon as one of 12 marathons that people should not miss during their lifetime."
And dozens of world class marathoners are here to run it. Sisay Bezabeh, from Australia's Olympic team is here; so are Augustus Kavutu and Elly Rono from Kenya. All are experienced runners making their first trip to Utah. They expect a first-class race tomorrow.
Six-year veteran Elly Rono says race times could be very fast.
Elly Rono, Kenya: “They are good runners, I can tell you. Tomorrow is going to be course record setting.”
Registration is underway at the Salt Palace for tomorrow's marathon, 5K and Bike race, and the numbers are impressive:
--4,000 will run the marathon;
--5,000 will do the 5K;
--And 15-hundred cyclists will ride the 26.2-mile course.
Things will get going early: Bicycles will start at 6:00 a.m.; Handcycles and wheelchairs at 6:55; with the rest of the field going at 7:00.
The route winds along the east bench, comes across 6200 South, up Van Winkle, and ends up at The Gateway. The plan is to have everyone finished by 1:00. The map shows the estimated times that traffic should be back to normal after all runners have gone by.
Greg Reid, Race Director: "Some keys to lessen the impact on traffic--please plan ahead, know your route. If you approach an intersection, it is the post orders of the public safety divisions there to allow you to pass when gaps in the runners exist."
You can get a closer look at the map on the marathon web page, and you can link to from this story.
