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As of Saturday, 3,256 people had registered, although two-thirds were entered in the accompanying half-marathon. Those running the marathon numbered 971.

"It's not about what the City of Oaks Marathon is now but what it can become," Dupree said. "I think the numbers in the first year are very encouraging."

Earlier race stumbled

But the race has had to emerge from the shadows of a previous attempt to establish a marathon in Raleigh. In 2000, a different group launched the Raleigh Marathon, only to have the event face setbacks in three consecutive runnings.

On its inaugural day in December 2000, a prediction of snow caused organizers to postpone the event for a week. When the snow failed to fall, runners from out of town were furious that they were told to come back the next week.

The second year, a police officer directed some runners down the wrong street, causing them to run a shorter distance that skewed race times. Its final running in 2002 went well but was preceded by an ice storm three days before. Organizers headed out early on race day with chain saws to make sure the route was clear of tree limbs.

"I slept in Wilson the night before because I didn't have power," said Butch Robertson, who directed the three Raleigh Marathons. He said the event also had difficulty lining up sponsors. There was no sponsor for the last race.

Micheels, the City of Oaks Marathon director, said he and other running enthusiasts knew that Robertson was trying to keep the Raleigh Marathon alive and waited several years before deciding to take it on. In January, he said, a group that included many of his employees at the running store and a local race organizer decided to approach the city about a new event.

Their first step, after mapping out a course, was to present their proposal to the police, who manage street logistics. Micheels said that the police suggested the race date, based on parade schedules and other running events that close streets. From there, the group presented its plan to the City Council, which approved it last winter. Afterward, the group recruited cell-phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson as the title sponsor for the marathon. Rex Healthcare took the lead for the half-marathon.

Micheels declined to disclose the group's budget but said expenses include paying $20,000 for police to block off intersections and direct traffic; buying T-shirts for runners at about $7 apiece; getting medals for all participants at $4.50 apiece; and buying advertisements, signs and other marketing tools. Volunteers will help on race day with water stations and other services.

"We weren't interested in doing this to make money," Micheels said. "We wanted to do this because we wanted the city of Raleigh to have a marathon."

To break even, he said, organizers needed 1,500 runners. With twice that many registered, he said, he is hopeful a strong inaugural run will build acceptance in the running community and keep the event going. Most of those registered are from North Carolina, although runners are arriving from about 40 states.

Gabrielle Bjornson and her running partner, Carissa Zak, are flying in from the Kansas City area, meeting an old running friend who is now in Columbus, Ohio. The three are part of a larger running group that travels the country doing marathons and half-marathons. Bjornson plans to run the half, while Zak will do the full as part of an effort to run marathons in all 50 states.

"Carissa and I were looking at races, and she knows someone who moved to Raleigh," Bjornson said. "We wanted to try something new. None of us has been to North Carolina, so we're looking forward to seeing it."

She said she heard about the previous marathon's troubles -- and about the current course being a "challenge" -- but took both in stride.

"People have told me that Raleigh is hilly and hard," she said. "And who knows how it will go. I guess a lot depends on the weather."

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