Come to Raleigh in November for the privilege of running 26.2 miles on a frighteningly hilly course that, in the understated lingo of marathoners, is referred to as "challenging."

But the Sony Ericsson City of Oaks Marathon will draw more than 3,000 runners from across the United States to participate in the inaugural event next Sunday.

The marathon -- the city's second attempt at establishing a marquee running event -- is stirring high expectations. City boosters want it to burnish Raleigh's reputation as a vibrant, sports-oriented destination. Race organizers want a well-regarded event, free of the problems that plagued the race under its previous incarnation. And the runners just want a challenge they can conquer.

If everyone's hopes are met, the new marathon will put Raleigh in a league that includes New York and Chicago, Richmond and Charlotte.

"Most cities the size of Raleigh have marathons," said Jim Micheels, co-director of the City of Oaks Marathon. Micheels, who owns Raleigh Running Outfitters, said he and other running enthusiasts decided at the first of this year to launch the effort. "It was just something the city needed."

Marquee events

As a sporting event, marathons are considered good money-makers. They draw a large group of well-heeled, well-educated participants, many from outside the area. Established marathons in cities such as Richmond, Va., and Cincinnati, which field more than twice as many runners as Raleigh's projected 3,000, pump millions into hotels, restaurants and shops.

The SunTrust Richmond Marathon and companion 8-kilometer race were credited with $8.4 million in revenues, according to an impact study of the 2005 race.

Hundreds of marathons, small and large, are held each year, and more and more people are running them. During the first running boom in 1976, an estimated 25,000 people finished a marathon, according to figures compiled by Running USA, a nonprofit group that promotes running. Last year, 410,000 people went the distance. Cities such as Raleigh are looking to capitalize on that growing interest.

"We are now going through a second running boom," said Scott Schricker, who handles marketing for Richmond's race committee. "There are a lot of marathons popping up around the country."

And it's not just runners who enter the events. Lily Hill of Shepherdstown, W.Va., will arrive in Raleigh next week to walk the half-marathon. At 76, she has watched and cheered as her husband and children complete races. But this year, she said, her kids convinced her to enter, choosing the race in Raleigh. She won't be alone. Her daughter who lives in Raleigh will run the marathon, and another from Ohio will run the half.

"This is a first time for me," she said. "I hope I can make it."

For the city, the economic effect of a marathon is only part of the attraction. Scott Dupree, director of sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said his organization looks to the City of Oaks Marathon to become one of Raleigh's signature events, along with March Madness and MEAC basketball, plus soccer, cross-country and high school sports championships.

"I think you could make the case that Raleigh or any major city needs a successful annual marathon," Dupree said. "It helps to brand the city as vibrant, active and healthy."

Dupree said the race route showcases the different sides of Raleigh, taking runners on a large loop through downtown, then through neighborhoods and into Umstead State Park, and ending near the RBC Center.

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