More than 10,000 exhausted, sweating bodies will take to the streets this weekend.
For the 32nd GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, 2,038 people have registered for the full 42.2-kilometre run, another 5,800 signed up for the half-marathon, 2,400 will run the eight-kilometre road race and 527 are set for the 1.2-km kids run.
While online registration closed yesterday and late registration is allowed at the race expo today and tomorrow, those numbers donB次元官网网址檛 compare to last yearB次元官网网址檚 record-setting event.
A total of 14,078 people participated in last yearB次元官网网址檚 event, with the half-marathon selling out before the end of September at 6,800 runners. The marathon had 3,221 participants.
B次元官网网址淵es we are down and that is the trend with marathons this year across North America,B次元官网网址� said Louise Hodgson-Jones, media liaison with the marathon. B次元官网网址淧eople arenB次元官网网址檛 travelling as much, choosing races closer to home. Many also choose us to qualify for Boston, but the new Boston Marathon qualifying procedure means that if they qualify at our race, they canB次元官网网址檛 register for another year B次元官网网址� so they may be choosing spring marathons to hopefully get in the following year.B次元官网网址�
Lower numbers could also mean fewer dollars will be injected into the local economy.
Last yearB次元官网网址檚 marathon weekend pumped $7.1 million into the Greater Victoria economy, according to an economic impact analysis numbers conducted by the Economic Planning Group and commissioned by the Victoria Marathon Society.
The 2010 event drew the most ever. Competitors spent $1.9 million in the region between Oct. 9 and 11, plus spectators spent another $743,000 over the weekend.
Indirect spending added $3.3 million to the local economy, the analysis showed.
A large number of participants, especially runners in the top 50, are from outside Greater Victoria.
Route redirects traffic
Several Victoria streets will be closed off for the GoodLife Victoria Marathon on Sunday (Oct. 9) between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
B次元官网网址� People can park in the downtown area prior to 7 a.m. and walk to the start of the race.
B次元官网网址� The early start for the marathon begins at 6:30 a.m., so drivers travelling at that time should watch for pedestrians and lead cyclists.
B次元官网网址� Menzies, Michigan, Government and Wharf streets closed 7:25 to 8:05 a.m. and 8:40 to 9:20 a.m.
B次元官网网址� Johnson closed from Wharf to Cook from 7:35 to 8:15 a.m. and 8:50 to 9:30 a.m.
B次元官网网址� Traffic will have access north of Humboldt, west of Cook following the last runner at approximately 9:30 a.m. to access Douglas Street and Blanshard and escape north.
B次元官网网址� No traffic permitted on Dallas between 7:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
