The Woodlands Marathon this weekend

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The countdown is on to The Woodlands Marathon Weekend hosted by Fidelity Investments. Whether participating in a race or cheering on the runners, The Woodlands will be full of excitement as an estimated 8,500 participants will be running in either the full marathon, marathon relay, half marathon, 5K run or 2K family fun run.

The first race, the Pathfinder Pediatric 2K Fun Run and Walk, will take place on Friday, February 28, at 6:30 PM on Lake Robbins Drive. This event will kick off the full marathon, marathon relay and the half marathon that will all begin at 7 AM on Saturday, March 1st. The 5K will start shortly after at 7:05 AM.

The single-loop, 26.2-mile marathon course will begin by taking the runners under the Marriott Sky Bridge on Six Pines Drive. The route will continue on to other areas of The Woodlands including Panther Creek, Flintridge, Alden Bridge, Terramont and Lake Woodlands, with a finish on the picturesque Waterway behind the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The course is also USA Track and Field certified and is therefore a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

“We are a flat, fast course and we have one of the most beautiful finishes in the South,” said Race Director, Willie Fowlkes.

Like the full marathon, The St. Luke’s Half Marathon and the Fleet Feet 5K will also be finishing at the Waterway. Fuel stations and water stations will be present throughout the courses.

Not only will residents from The Woodlands be running on their home turf, there will be participants representing 44 different states and 6 other countries including Mexico, Canada, Germany and Spain.

Although this will be the third annual The Woodlands Marathon, the race actually has a much longer history. The original Woodlands Marathon was in 1979, just five years after the master-planned community was established. After a 19-year hiatus, the event was revived on March 3, 2012 and has since grown into a nation-wide race that promotes healthy, active lifestyles while making a positive impact through the sport of running in the local community, Houston region, and across the United States.

Promoting health and wellness, The Woodlands Marathon Management, LLC gives back to the community as well. After registering for any event during The Woodlands Marathon Weekend, athletes of all levels have the opportunity to participate in the Launch Charity Challenge where they can fundraise for a charity while training for race day. Some of The Woodlands spotlight charities include the Montgomery County Youth Shelter, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Texas Children’s Hospital, with many more to choose from.

The Woodlands Marathon Management has an $18,000 prize purse to give to the charity of the highest fundraisers. The first place fundraiser will receive $3,000 for their selected charity, second place will get $2,000, third place will get $1,000, and donations will also be given to the next top 40 fundraisers. Participants have until noon on February 28 to spread awareness and raise funds for their selected charity organization. Running for physical and mental wellness is beneficial in itself, but running for a cause that can impact so many people makes running 26.2 miles, or any distance, worth all the while.

Also, whether you will be a runner or a spectator, be on the lookout for cheer zones dispersed throughout the course. Groups are asked to get creative with themes and costumes. They will be out on the streets cheering for the runners to keep them excited and motivated throughout the many miles of their trek. These groups will be competing for the Kink Team Cheer Challenge on race day and will be voted by the runners in a post-event survey. Prize money will be awarded to the top groups.

After last year’s event on March 2, 2013, The Woodlands Marathon Management, LLC conducted an economic impact study to see just how much the race benefited The Woodlands community and its businesses. The results were astonishing. Data was collected from event participants through a post-event study, combined with research methods from the previous five years.

“What was discovered in the 2013 event was that The Woodlands Marathon had close to a $6 million impact on the local economy,” stated Fowlkes. “With that said, this event will continue to elevate The Woodlands as a health initiative community and promote wellness.”

The data also presented that each participant had an impact of about $987. To make it even more impressive, the study revealed that over $130,000 was raised and donated to numerous groups and charities. Runners alone raised $98,000 through the charity challenge, with hopes of raising that number even more this year.

After crossing the finish line on Saturday morning, runners can look forward to breakfast items from Chick-Fil-A and Taco Cabana, as well as water, chocolate milk, granola bars, fruit and much more.

The full marathon, relay and half marathon sold out in early February, but spots are still available for the 5K and 2K Fun Run. To sign up and for more information regarding general race information, start times, packet pick-up, course maps, etc., visit The Woodlands Marathon website here.

The Woodlands Marathon is still in need of volunteers who will help ensure a successful, safe and exciting event. From the website given above, click on the “volunteer” tab to sign up!

Media Relations Director, Jon Walk, knows that The Woodlands Marathon would not be possible without the race committee and the volunteers.

“There are a lot of good marathons and a lot of great events,” says Walk. “However, I think our race committee, our volunteers, our athletes, and the great cooperation from the county commissioner and township makes this race stand out. We want to be one of those marathons that folks talk about all around the state as well as nationally, and our team and volunteers help put us into that conversation.”

Jon Walk’s favorite part about The Woodlands Marathon is seeing everyone come together for such a great event.

“It is seeing people come across the finish line, having a great day and excited about being active and involved. That makes the long hours and hard effort worthwhile,“ said Walk.

On March 1st, be sure to come out and have a great time with The Woodlands community, and cheer for runners of all levels as they run for themselves, their health, and even charitable organizations.

Once confirmed, Woodlands Online will have a list of road closures for Saturday, March 1 as soon as possible. All roads will be re-opened by 2 PM.