Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor, outdoor writer for the Roanoke Times, sums up the Blue Ridge Marathon quite well.
“The running community in Western Virginia and beyond has been buzzing since the recent announcement that Roanoke will host a unique marathon next spring.
The importance of the Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway reaches beyond runners, though.
How the event turns out next spring — and beyond — will say a lot about this region’s ability to build its reputation as an outdoors paradise.
A talked-about mountain marathon can be an intriguing element of the Roanoke Valley’s identity, that whole quality of life thing that everybody likes to talk about.
It’s one thing to have appealing outdoors resources such as greenways, blueways, the Appalachian Trail, vast expanses of nearby national forest land, trout streams, striped bass lakes and mountain biking meccas.
It’s another thing to make sure people know about the resources, which are often best showcased through specific events.
Marathon organizers are ambitious.
Although next year’s marathon will be capped at 400 racers {the cap has actually been lifted}, there is hope that the race can grow, potentially bringing thousands of visitors and their dollars to the region annually.
The race has its critics and skeptics.
Some have targeted the statement that the race is “the first marathon to be run almost entirely on the Blue Ridge Parkway,” even though the course is on the actual Blue Ridge Parkway for just a couple hundred yards.
That’s an easy fix. Just change the wording.
Other naysayers complain that the course is so difficult it won’t ever attract much of a crowd.
But, really, even if the race doesn’t draw hordes, is that bad news for the area?
Yes, it would be better for the local economy to pull 10,000 free-spending runners and their families into Roanoke for the weekend. But there’s nothing wrong with a more modest number, providing that number is big enough to ensure the event is not a money loser.
The challenging course is getting a lot of attention, not only from runners but from race organizers who are not being shy about promoting the route as “one of the most difficult and beautiful on the east coast.”
This was a good move.
It would have been relatively easy to design a more modest 26-mile route through the Roanoke Valley.
Had that been the case, the race would be just another of the roughly 400 marathons held annually in the United States.
When the field is that crowded, you have to be able to stand out.
A race that features more than 3,000 feet of elevation gain — that’s roughly the equivalent of climbing from downtown Roanoke to the Mill Mountain Star four times — stands out.
All marathons are difficult. Not many are this difficult.
Organizers are also offering a half-marathon that same weekend.
That race will be more within the reach of the average weekend warrior. But with a course that is by no means easy, it is the kind of event that could lure in out-of-town runners.
Pain can be a draw.
For example, spots in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii — a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon — are so sought after they are available only by lottery or by finishing high in a qualifying race.
Locally, the Mountains of Misery cycling event in the New River Valley annually attracts riders who are eager to push themselves over the grueling 103-mile route. Last year’s event drew more than 400 entrants, many from outside the state.
The Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway has potential to be one of those milestone, bragging rights events.
It could even be argued that a smaller race with a big reputation could actually be more valuable than a bigger race with no reputation.”
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