More than 7,000 runners expected day of Myrtle Beach Marathon races
The Myrtlebeach.com Myrtle Beach Marathon and related races had the most total registered runners in their history in 2014, and in their 18th year the events are on pace for similar numbers.
The 2015 full marathon, being run next Saturday, is on pace to have about 2,000 runners, which is 1,000 less than the cap organizers have placed on registration.
The coinciding half marathon should come up about 500 short of its max with 4,500 runners, and the relay featuring predominantly five-person teams is on pace to be about half full with about 150 teams for a total of approximately 7,250 runners Saturday.
Friday’s 5-kilometer race doesn’t have a cap and should have about 1,200 runners.
“Right now we’re trying to maintain and continue to grow,” Myrtle Beach Marathon president Shaun Walsh said.
The race has expanded its fields since the last time it sold out in 2010, when it was capped at 1,500 marathoners and 2,800 half marathoners.
“We’re getting more people, we’re just not hitting our caps,” Walsh said. “… The main thing has been developing a consistent and quality product throughout the process.”
Organizers are trying to jazz up Friday’s 5k run. After a neon clothing theme in 2014, this year runners are being offered glow-in-the-dark shirts and head lights. The finish line will feature a live band, festive lighting and food.
“The 5k is a work in progress,” Walsh said. “It has kind of been the cousin of the other two races, but the 5k should be so much more fun because it’s one of the few night runs around and we use the marathon finish line and start at Ripley’s [Aquarium], which is great.
“It’s good for competitive people and also the recreational runners. So we’re really trying to build that up as well.”
The marathon route isn’t changing this year, as it hasn’t for the past five years. It passes around or through Pelicans Ballpark, Broadway at the Beach, Grissom Parkway, the Market Common and the north and south ends of Ocean Boulevard.
“We’ve developed it over the years with the new roads and we’ve always tried to encompass all the flavors of the beach that we can,” Walsh said. “We’re never going to completely alleviate traffic problems but I think we’ve minimized them as much as we possibly can.”
A few blocks of Ocean Blvd. around Fourth Ave. North are being dug up as work continues on a stormwater ocean outfall, but a temporary asphalt seal will be installed for runners. Automobile access to a few hotels may be eliminated for a few hours, but Walsh said all of the hotels have parking on the west side of Ocean Boulevard.
The Coast RTA public transportation service expects delays on a couple routes Friday and has altered some routes to accommodate the marathon Saturday, and those changes are available on the homepage of the RTA website at www.coastrta.com.
An ice storm along the East Coast in the days leading up to last year’s race kept numerous runners from traveling to the marathon.
Weather.com’s extended forecast shows some sun and no chance of rain Friday or Saturday, but cool temperatures with highs of 45 degrees Friday and 51 Saturday and lows near 30 both days.
The races benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Coastal South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross and Horry County Schools.
This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 10:48 PM with the headline "More than 7,000 runners expected day of Myrtle Beach Marathon races."