Efforts to organize the Blue Ridge Marathon began in February 2009, when representatives of the John Carlin Agency, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, Odyssey Racing, and Congressman Goodlatte’s office met at an event held in the Taubman Museum of Art. The idea that a marathon might be held on the
Blue Ridge Parkway in conjunction with the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary Celebration was conceived. Six Congressmen petitioned the National Park Service to approve a special use permit allowing the marathon organizers to utilize portions of the Parkway for the event. The permit was approved by August 2009 and marketing of the marathon began.

The event was sponsored by National College, Carilion Clinic, Valley Bank, Fink’s Jewelers, RoanokeOutside.com, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Taubman Museum of Art, the John Carlin Agency, City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation, Odyssey Adventure Racing, Texas Tavern, the Roanoker Magazine, GEM Car, and Dominion of Bedford. The race benefitted the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a nonprofit and volunteer organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Billed as America’s Toughest Road Marathon, the race course started and ended at the Taubman Museum of Art and went from the low elevations of downtown Roanoke and the Roanoke River to the higher elevations at the top of Mill Mountain and Roanoke Mountain along sections of the Blue Ridge
Parkway for a total elevation change of 6,140 feet.

Race organizers knew it would be of vital importance to gauge the economic impact of the race event. Such information would be instrumental in helping the community to understand the impacts such events bring to the community and to build support for future marathons in the Roanoke Valley region of Virginia. Organizers contacted the staff of the Roanoke Valley – Alleghany Regional Commission prior to the execution of the race event to design a study methodology.

Click here to access to full economic impact analysis of the Blue Ridge Marathon.

Email pete(at)roanoke.org with any questions.

Roanoke, Va. (May 25, 2010) – Organizers of the Blue Ridge Marathon today presented $20,000 to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which will use the funding to further its mission to preserve, promote and enhance the scenic highway.  FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway was the designated beneficiary of the Blue Ridge Marathon.  The signature ascents on the 26.2-mile course took place on the Parkway, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2010.

Pete Eshelman, director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership, and co-chair of the marathon, praised the National Park Service for permitting access to the scenic highway.  He attributed the event’s financial success to community support and sponsors who signed on early.  “National College, Carilion Clinic, Valley Bank, Finks Jewelers and Roanoke Parks and Recreation believed in this idea and supported this great community event almost from the beginning.  Their support enabled us to properly market the marathon as a destination attraction.”  Eshelman noted that the marathon and half-marathon drew 942 (more than 1,000 registered) runners from 34 states and London, England.

“The Blue Ridge Marathon has accomplished an incredibly successful outdoor brand for the Roanoke Valley,” said FRIENDS Executive Director Susan J. Mills, Ph.D. “FRIENDS was honored to assist with the volunteer efforts through our network of chapters providing 100 of the 300 volunteers and also, additional first aid stations through the support of a board member. This event was a team effort with tremendous community support!” she said.  Mills further explained that, “100-percent of this donation will be used to provide funding for events along the Blue Ridge Parkway.”  She said Parkway outdoor programs such as the Roanoke Campground Music Program, Peaks of Otter and Mabry Mill programs, which could not be funded by local chapters, would now be funded.  Mills said the money is even more welcome at a time, “when the economy makes fundraising particularly challenging.”

Though he could not be present for the check presentation, Honorary Race Chair, Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke thanked organizers for their efforts and said he hoped the Marathon “…Would continue to grow and make contributions to the quality of life in the Valley in so many ways.”

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis, also on hand for the check presentation, said he was pleased the community had found a new way to connect with the Parkway.  “Groups like FRIENDS are integral to the long-term success of the Parkway,” he said.  “Not only did the marathon help draw national attention to our 75th Anniversary, it was another way to show the world what a beautiful attraction we have running along the crest of the Blue Ridge.”  Francis noted that the funding was like “found money” and would make FRIENDS’ impact even greater.

National College President and CEO Frank Longaker was one of the first to support the event financially when National College signed on to be the event’s title sponsor. “We saw the potential for a marathon in the Roanoke Valley,” said Longaker, an avid endurance event participant and finisher of the event’s 13.1 mile half marathon.  The beauty and difficulty of the Roanoke course will attract people from all over the country and beyond.  This event is only going to grow.”

The run is touted as one of the most difficult on-road marathons in America.  The course was designed to connect the Parkway with downtown Roanoke, while showcasing some of the Roanoke Valley’s key attractions, including the greenway system.  Plans for next year include more mileage on the greenway with the completion of the low water bridge in Wasena Park.  Organizers are also eyeing one more addition – another significant hill.

“The runners tell us they loved this course despite the difficulty,” said Race Director Ronny Angell, citing early survey responses from participants that show a 99-percent approval rating.  “We want to be sure we have bragging rights as the toughest race there is, so we’re looking at our options,” Angell said.

The event had an overall impact of $354,202 on the region’s economy in terms of increased sales activity resulting directly from visitation and from these expenditures rippling across the regional economy.

While organizers are still working on plans for next year’s event, they said the date had been set for April 16, 2011.

The Blue Ridge Marathon is excited to show the critically acclaimed “Race Across the Sky” as part of its Runners Expo. “Race Across The Sky” documents several riders, including Lance Armstrong, as they compete in one of the world’s toughest mountain bike endurance races.

Join us April 23 for this one-time viewing experience!

Where: Mill Mountain Theatre (located within Center In The Square)
When: April 23
Time: 6:10pm
Cost: $10 plus tax (purchase online)

MORE ON THE RACE & FILM
At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colorado, 1228 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count.

The race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 “Race Across the Sky” Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man:  it’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hour’s slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow.  To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12 hour cut off mark and be eliminated.

Rivalries include six-time defending champion Dave Wiens vs. international star / seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.  Inspirational stories of human triumph include a Leadville woman rider who was critically injured by a car while training for last year’s race, another who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and 45+ rider who has raced all 15 years.

Whether they’re international stars of the sport or everyday folks with the will to finish a race whose difficulty is on par with the Ironman, the grit to push to their own physical and emotional limits strikes an elegant symmetry between racer and environment and a struggling former mining town whose very existence now relies on the tourism generated by this race.

Learn more about the Leadville Trail 100 race.

SeriousRunning.com is excited to partner with one of the most scenic and challenging marathons in the Southeast, the Blue Ridge Marathon!  SeriousRunning.com provides training plans and tips for all types of runners, serious and those that strive to be more serious runners.  Read some tips for running a marathon so you can enjoy this serious marathon with a strong running performance.  SeriousRunning.com provides runners with race listing across the nation, running shoe reviews, mapping tools, and much much more.  SeriousRunning.com is your # 1 trail running resource with the largest listing of trail running trails across the nation, with over 1,000 trail runs!  No matter how you train or compete, SeriousRunning.com is a great resource to help you reach your goal.  Good luck on the Blue Ridge Marathon and reaching your running goals runners!

To learn more visit SeriousRunning.com.

The Sandman Extreme Half Marathon

Extreme for Excellence

Saturday, January 16, 2010 (9:00 a.m.)

Benefiting the Wythe County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence

1st Annual Sandman Extreme for Excellence Half-Marathon up and down Sand Mountain.  In the middle of January, rain or shine, runners will begin in the town of Wytheville, Virginia at an elevation of 2,300 feet, descend to Reed Creek at 2,100 and then begin a 4.5 mile climb to 3,100 feet.  Atop scenic Sand Mountain the run takes you through the Big Survey Wilderness Management Area on gravel road before reversing course back to Wytheville.

Learn more and register!

The National College Blue Ridge Marathon is excited to have GEM Car as the official electric car of the Blue Ridge Marathon.

Thanks to Dominion of Bedford and GEM Car, lead runners will not have to breathe the exhaust from a traditional pace car. The pace car will be an electric GEM Car.

GEM electric vehicles are 100 percent battery-electric and emit zero tailpipe emissions. They have a top speed of 25 mph and a range of up to 30 miles on a charge making them a fun and economical way to run errands, drive to work or school, haul equipment, or transport people around work facilities. GEM cars cost approximately two cents per mile to operate and can be plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet to recharge.

Dominion of Bedford is a franchised Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep dealer serving the Lynchburg and Roanoke markets. Dominion recently added the GEM line to their business. Dominion has been in business in the region since 1976 and, in addition to their sales & service facility in Bedford, also operates an independent vehicle repair shop and GEM warranty and parts center at 1259 E. Main St. in Salem, Va. To learn more visit Gem Car and Dominion of Bedford.

Blue Ridge Marathon Secures National College as Peak Sponsor
Carilion Clinic, Valley Bank, & Fink’s Jewelers add additional sponsorship support

Roanoke, VA. (December 07, 2009) National College has signed on as the Peak sponsor for the Blue Ridge Marathon which will be held on April 24, 2010 in Roanoke, Virginia. Carilion Clinic and Valley Bank are Overlook sponsors, while Fink’s Jewelers in association with TAG Heuer will be the event’s official timekeeper.

“National College didn’t hesitate when presented with the chance to be our Peak sponsor,” said Race Director Ronny Angell, who explained that the sponsorship levels were named after mountain features in honor of the peaks that mark the marathon’s first 16 miles. Angell is President of Odyssey Adventure Racing, and National College has also sponsored a series of Sprint Adventure Races through Odyssey.

“I’m pleased for National College to be a part of something that signifies health and fitness, while showcasing the Roanoke Valley,” said National College President Frank E. Longaker. National’s involvement is in keeping with its ongoing push to promote healthy living among its employees. Recently the college implemented two wellness programs. Now National College is offering to pay the entry fee of its employees at each of its 26 campuses who are interested in participating in the marathon.

Carilion Clinic and Valley Bank have taken two of the three available Overlook sponsorships.  “We saw this as an opportunity to support wellness in the Valley and the region’s outdoor attractions,” said Dr. Edward Murphy, President and CEO of Carilion Clinic. Murphy said Carilion Clinic employees and others will be encouraged to walk the 13.1-mile half marathon.

Ellis L. Gutshall, President and CEO of Valley Bank echoed those thoughts.  “We have a wonderful city nestled in the mountains, and this marathon showcases all of it.  We feel like it’s a perfect fit for Valley Bank.”

Roanoke-based Fink’s Jewelers in partnership with Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer will be the official time keeper for the event, and will also provide watches valued at $5,000 to the overall men’s and women’s winners.   “The Blue Ridge Marathon is going to be a great thing for Roanoke and I knew Fink’s needed to be a part of it.  TAG Heuer is our leading timepiece for the sports enthusiast, so it was a natural fit,” said owner, Marc Fink.  Fink’s will also provide a $500 gift certificate toward Tag Heuer merchandise to all participants of the event.

The inaugural National College Blue Ridge Marathon begins and ends in downtown Roanoke.  Marathon runners will ascend Mill Mountain and later Roanoke Mountain before returning to the Valley for the final 10 miles on rolling terrain.  A substantial portion of the run is on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Organizers felt the best way to attract a national audience was to create an event that stood out.

“We are seeing the desire of runners to come here to match themselves against this course,” said Race Co-Chair Pete Eshelman, who is also director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership one of the event’s Switchback sponsors.  “We are excited that the business community is embracing our vision,” he said.  Eshelman pointed out that the committee has many more sponsorships available and hoped to be making more announcements soon.

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To select the winners we numbered the first entry submitted as #1 and the last as #17. We then utilized an online random number generator to select three numbers at random – 3, 2, & 6.

Congratulations to Lindsey, Spencer, and Derick! We’ll email you the details.

For those of you who didn’t win we promise to continue with our random giveaways in the near future.