The countdown is at 15 days before the start of this year's Deseret News/Granite Furniture Marathon and 10K races, presented by HealthRider and the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Department. And registrations are pouring in from throughout the country, and the world.
Among those planning to participate in the marathon are two Japanese wheelchair athletes who are coming to Utah on July 20th. They've raced in events around the world, but this will be their first visit to the Beehive State and the DesNews. And they're hardly alone.Entries have been received from runners from several countries and continents, as the reputation of these two traditional Pioneer Day races continues to grow.
Scott Kerr, special events manager for Salt Lake County Parks and Rec., has had a chance to see about every registration form that's arrived so far, and he's impressed.
"It's obvious that these races have caught the imagination of a lot of runners, because we're really seeing entries from many different regions and locales," he stated. Kerr expects the next 10-12 days to be the busiest in terms of registrations, as the July 4th holiday is now past and runners, particularly local runners, will begin focusing on July 24th activities.
For the past two months, a committee of 12 "chairmen" who are helping to coordinate the races and events surrounding them have been meeting weekly in the conference room near Kerr's office to assure everything comes off smoothly in two weeks. Every aspect of race day has been discussed, from the number of paper cups needed to supply runners water at aid stations along the route, to the hundreds of volunteers it takes to conduct the races.
"These next few days are crunch time for all of us," stated Steve Handy, marketing director for the Deseret News. "We're on the phone constantly with one another, working out last-minute details and putting the finishing touches on the races. These look like they'll be the best ones we've ever held."
Registration continues at all Granite Furniture locations along the Wasatch Front, at Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation (2001 So. State Street, Suite S-4900), and at the Deseret News, 135 So. Regent Street. You can also get information by calling 468-2560.
And tonight on "Sports Night" on KSL Newsradio 1160 at 7 p.m., guest host Rod Zundel will feature the DesNews Marathon and 10K races with his guests. KSL will also broadcast both races live on July 24th.