Marathon runners from California, 42 other states and seven countries are picking up race bibs today.
The San Luis Obispo Marathon starts Sunday morning, marking its third year. Pre-race events are taking place at the "SLO Life" Expo, on the Madonna Meadows, where local businesses and vendors set up shop for marathon participants.
"We want our runners to take a little bit of San Luis Obispo home with them and remember it. And maybe come back on a vacation, or something like that," said Heather Hellman.
Hellman is the Event Director for the marathon and has been planning the race all year. It begins at San Luis Obispo High School and ends at the Madonna Inn. The course takes the runners through downtown and rural areas. Hellman said that the marathon's new saying is "The best way to see SLO is on foot."
San Luis Obispo isn't the only Central Coast city marathoners will be exploring on foot. The Big Sur International Marathon will take place Sunday, starting in Carmel.
This is the first year both marathons will be hosted on the same weekend. Hellman said that she isn't sure whether Big Sur was a factor in the SLO Marathon registration or not. Because Big Sur has been around for so long, Hellman said that the spots for that always fill up quickly. The San Luis Obispo Marathon has seen the same numbers as last year.
"It's very interesting because California has the most half marathons and marathons anywhere. It has the most runners. We pull 90 percent of our registrants from California," Hellman said.
Events like these do bring in money for the city. Based on last year's TBID annual report, which referenced a privately commissioned economic impact report, the impact of last year's race was more than $3 million.
Jillian Lemieux, Director of Membership for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, says that this type of event is great for bringing in people who maybe have more active lifestyles.
"We have so much to offer even outside the marathon," Lemieux said. "So hopefully, they'll come and enjoy the marathon and maybe come back and take advantage of some of the other things, maybe become frequent visitors rather than just one time of year for the marathon."
Lemieux said that the race has already brought in a ton of people, and that that is good for everyone, particularly restaurants and shops. Some may not agree though, because of temporary road closures and challenging access to residential areas.
"In order to have something on this scale, where we're voted one of the best marathons in the country, I think that you're going to see some things that will be an inconvenience but hopefully it will be minimized," said Lemieux.
The marathon starts at 6 a.m. Sunday, with the half marathon following 30 minutes later.
See below for road closures and the marathon route.
