St. Joseph Sports Commission prepares to host 4th annual St. Joseph Marathon
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) - The St. Joseph Sports Commission is set to host the 4th annual St. Joseph Marathon on Saturday, September 26th.
In edition to the full 26.2 mile race, the event also features a half marathon, 10K race, 5K race and a five-person marathon relay team that incorporates the full route. The full marathon, half marathon and relay portion of the event begin at 7 am this Saturday while the 10K and 5K portions begin at 7:30 am. The marathon has gotten record registration this year and will welcome nearly 700 members to the starting line this Saturday.
Civic Center Park located behind City Hall will once again serve as headquarters for the event which will feature pre and post-race activities for participants along with their families, friends and spectators who attend the day’s events with the start/finish line being located on Francis Street. The Post Race Chill Out presented by Hy-Vee (which is open to the public) will feature live music, food, drink and assorted vendors. Popular country cover band Rob Milligan and the Fatt Rascals will perform postrace.
"It's a different event. It's an event for all skill levels, all people from all over the country that come to St. Joe," said Brett Esley, Director of Development & Sports Commission. "It's that next challenging piece for them, when you ask any runner what's your goal, their goal is to finish. They never give you a time. The goal is to finish and uh. It's really inspirational."
"If you want to see something cool and you're not a runner, it'll help you have faith in humanity. Go stand at the finish line of this event. There's nothing better than standing at the finish line of a marathon event and seeing those people cross emotional," said marathon volunteer and emcee Terra James. "It's hard not to get emotional yourself even if you were not running it."
Several crossing streets will remain open during the duration of the event. While additional intersections may be passable, below are suggested crossings along the race route:
Mile 1 & 26: North 4th Street & Faraon St.
Mile 2 & 26: North 4th Street & Auguste St.
Mile 4 & 5: Northwest Parkway & Ferndale
Mile 7: Ashland Ave. & Gene Field Rd.
Mile 8: Ashland Ave. & Oakland
Mile 8: North Noyes Blvd. & Frederick Ave.
Mile 9, 20, 21: Noyes Blvd. & Faraon St.
Mile 9, 20, 21: Noyes Blvd. & Jules St.
Mile 9, 20, 21: Noyes Blvd. & Messanie St.
Mile 10 & 19: Noyes Blvd. & Mitchell Ave.
Mile 10 & 19: SW Parkway & Duncan St.
Mile 11 & 18: SW Parkway & S. 28th St.
Mile 12 & 18: SW Parkway & 22nd St.
Mile 13 & 17: SW Parkway & 11th St.
Mile 14 & 15: SW Parkway & Mansfield Rd.
Mile 22: Corby Parkway & Ashland Ave. (way in only)
Mile 22: NE Parkway & Cornell Ave. (way in only)
Mile 23 & 24: NE Parkway & Indian Trail (way in only)
Estimated end times for the respective races are as follows:
5K Race: 9:55 AM
10K Race: 10:03 AM
Half Marathon: 11:33 AM
Full Marathon & Relay: 12:45 PM
