Sun, sand lure running events to Myrtle Beach

When it comes to running, the Grand Strand is reaching its stride.

New races are popping up - two new events started this year - as longtime running events continue to lure more participants for beach-side treks.

"The truth is, you have a beautiful place to run," said Joel Patenaude, editor of Silent Sports Magazine, a Wisconsin-based publication dedicated to the kinds of athletics people can participate in alone, from swimming and skiing to biking and running.

Local running event organizer Mike Shank agrees.

A runner himself, he organizes the annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, has been instrumental in promoting the annual Myrtle Beach Bi-Lo Marathon, and put together a new Independence Day 8K race this year, for which he decorated the route with flags and bought sheet cakes with flag-themed frosting for the runners.

"Not every race gives you a chance to run along the beach," Shank said of why the area's gaining popularity.

Nationally, participation in road races of all sizes, from marathons to 5Ks, grew by 11 percent across the country in 2009, according to an analysis prepared by Race Results Weekly.

Running USA, a nonprofit organized for the running industry, released a report this year that shows half-marathons have consistently grown in popularity since 2003, with participation growing by 10 percent or more a year since then. Nearly 40 percent of runners surveyed said the 13.1-mile distance of a half-marathon is their favorite.

Running-event organizers along the Grand Strand go to a lot of trouble to make their races fun and interesting for the thousands of participants.

Robert Pozo, organizer of the new Myrtle Beach Mini-Marathon and Coastal 5K coming this fall, has prepared special commemorative medals shaped like surfboards. They each have a faux shark-bite out of them, which serves as a bottle opener, so race finishers are less likely to just toss them in a drawer and forget about them.

Pozo said he chose Myrtle Beach for his new race for a variety of reasons - because the airport can handle the incoming runners (he promotes his races nationwide), there are enough hotel rooms at a reasonable price and the city has become a partner with him on the event.

He said it's possible that with enough events, some specialty running stores will open, which will become sort-of a runners' central, a place where people can get their shoes and information, and find others with the same interest and share information.

Pozo organizes 26 half-marathons nationally, and said participation has increased at most of his races.

"Running is recession-proof," he said.

The 4-year-old Turkey Trot has added about 100 people a year, growing from 350 to 750. Many of the participants are visitors who are looking for something to do on a holiday that doesn't offer much activity besides watching football, Shank said.

And he had more than 400 sign up for the Fourth of July race - people from 27 states and one man from Ireland - he said, more than he had expected for the event's first year.

The annual Myrtle Beach Bi-Lo Marathon has expanded every year since it started 13 years ago. Its growth is limited by the city of Myrtle Beach, which has approval over the course and the number of runners allowed, based on what safety officials deem is workable. It started with 2,400 participants, and at its peak in 2008 had 12,000, marathon co-founder Shaun Walsh said.

And the half-marathon is always the first to sell out, he said.

"When I first moved here in 1991, there were a few races, like the Pawleys Island Turtle Trot and the North Myrtle Beach Winter Run, but back then, they only got about 80 people," Walsh said. "But the population in the area has grown, and the popularity of running has grown. It's easy to do - all you need are some shorts and shoes and off you go."

Shank said the routes of many area races are scenic, even away from the beach, and the area is flat, which makes running somewhat easier.

Patenaude, a marathoner who has finished the big races in New York and Boston, said the number of runners - and finishers - in marathons has increased. It's good for the charities the events raise money for, but some of the elite runners, he said, look down on those who are not serious time competitors.

"For a lot of people, marathons are a bucket-list item," he said. "If you can walk for five hours, you can finish one."

Nicole Aiello, public information officer for North Myrtle Beach, said her city is the site of several events that are gaining ground, too, from the annual Basil's Family Fun Run to triathlons for adults and children that include a running segment.

The Beach Sweep 5K is set for Sept. 18, and Aiello said the city expects about 150 participants, mostly from the Carolinas, for the 10^th annual event organized by the Grand Strand Running Club.

The 27^th annual Winter Run in January drew almost 300 people from across the Southeast. It is the oldest running event in the area.

Shank said it's no surprise there are more people running these days, especially while the economy is down and life feels unstable for many people.

"Running is a stress reliever for a lot of people," he said. "And it's an inexpensive way of exercising. You don't need much specialized equipment, or a special place to run.

"And when you get out there, it's just you and the road."