TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Just because Tallahassee is in the name doesn't mean the Tallahassee Marathon is just for people who live in the Capital City. On Sunday nearly 1,300 people will lace up their sneakers to run through Tallahassee.
"It's exciting and it's nerve wrecking, we just want to make sure that everybody, the race goes off successfully, and everyone is safe and there are no surprises," Felton Wright said.
Wright is the race coordinator for the marathon, he says runners are traveling from out of state and even overseas for the event going into its 48th year.
"We've got roughly just under half of the people registered are from outside of Tallahassee," Wright explained. "So I assume a lot of hotels particularly in the downtown area are sold out."
The Indigo Hotel in CollegeTown is near the finish line of the marathon. The director of sales and marketing, Jay Green says all 143 of their rooms are booked this weekend.
"When they get done running they want to come find a cold or hot shower and a soft bed, so we appreciate that. Clean rooms, this area has a lot of eateries in the area," Green said. "So they're walking around and being part of not just staying here but the bigger economic impact in the area."
Black Dog Café on Lake Ella is along the race route making it one of those places that could see some of that economic impact. Jasmine Jones is a barista there, she says they're excited to serve runners and supporters this weekend.
"Our staff is here and we're all super capable and we love interacting with new folks and returning folks too," Jones said. "I hope we see some familiar faces running their hardest."
It's not just businesses that will get a boost from this race. The Gulf Winds Track Club, which helps put on the race, will donate a portion of the proceeds to local charities.
"Our policy is that we split the net profits with local charities so we're probably one of the few non-profits that gives the money away," Wright said.
Tallahassee Police says there will be closures you need to keep in mind on race day. The closures begin at 5 Sunday morning, with some temporary road closures throughout the morning. All roads should open up again by 2:30 that afternoon. You'll find a full list of closures on the Tallahassee Marathon website.
