RALEIGH -- Last year's City of Oaks Marathon drew runners from as far away as Hawaii to run 26.2 miles of rolling hills spanning city streets and forest trails. But make no mistake, this is a Raleigh event.
The 2009 course for Sunday's race will be the same as last year's, a showcase of this city's diverse landscapes. Runners start in N.C. State's Centennial Campus. Ten miles into the race, participants will be running on the trails and up and down the hills of Umstead State Park. It's not a flat course, but that wouldn't be Raleigh.
"Going through the city part downtown, that's really nice" said John Piggott, 44, a veteran of 114 marathons and the two-time master's champion of the City of Oaks race. "On the outskirts, you're out there in no-man's land, but when you're running, you're just all by yourself."
Marathon director Jim Micheels continued to emphasize the Raleigh theme by choosing local businesses to help organize the event. These businesses feel more involved in the event and create a better race experience, he said.
"Maybe we could save a nickel or a dime on every race shirt by going with some big company," Micheels says. "I don't think it hurts the race in any way."
With the economy the way it is, nickels and dimes have become more precious. Fewer corporations were willing to sponsor the third annual City of Oaks Marathon. Also, the costs of having the Raleigh police secure the course and of marketing have risen. This means the registration fees have increased, as well. (Last-minute registrations this week were $100 for the marathon and $95 for the half marathon.)
However, these prices are still equal to or below the prices of other area marathons, Micheels said.
All of the event's workers are volunteers, and any proceeds are used for next year's event. They have also donated more than $20,000 to charities after each of the first two marathons, Micheels said.
"It's not a New York City Marathon or a Boston Marathon, but we're able to keep it local," Micheels says. "It benefits everyone."
If the runners are any indication, the Raleigh race will be an annual event.
"[The race] really does a lot for our area," says Heather Davis, 36, a Raleigh resident and the first-place winner of the women's division in the 2008 City of Oaks marathon.
