Get Ready, Get Set…
Last year’s inaugural Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon did not go the distance — literally. A misplaced orange cone at one turnaround left the course 0.28 miles short, meaning marathon finishers could not qualify for other elite events such as the Boston Marathon.Tim Morgan, president of the Chattanooga Sports Committee, which organized the event, calls the mistake a “black eye on an otherwise extremely well-operated and well-run event in its inaugural year.”The second annual event, scheduled for March 3-5, will take precautions to guarantee it does not happen again, he says.For instance, the marathon route has been adjusted and re-certified, says Morgan. Officials will return on race weekend to again ensure the route’s signage and markers.Also this year, Morgan says the event will be even more community-driven and family-friendly.“We created this thing to help define the qualities of who we are as a community,” he says. And that includes characteristics such as the city’s commitment to fitness, natural beauty and, of course, creativity.“The runner trying to qualify for Boston [Marathon] or the runner dressed as Superman who stops and high-fives all the cops, they both add value and character to what we are trying to create here,” says Morgan.Here are a few fun new features to which to look forward:For racers: Professional photographers from Gameface Media will be strategically located along the marathon, half-marathon and relay course to capture each runner in action. Competitors will receive a link where they can search by name, time or bib number to find their portrait and download for free.For spectators: The Sports Committee is currently helping to develop an interactive app, unofficially named the “Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon” app, powered by EPB fiber optics. Features will include live GPS tracking of athletes, predicted finish times, real-time progress and more. To stay up to date on the app’s progress, follow Chattanooga Marathon on Facebook.
Last October, on the fifth day of the seven-day, seven-state Mainly Marathons Appalachian Series, Courtney Bird crossed the finish line wearing a star-spangled cape and tawny-colored horse head mask.
“The hardest part was not being able to see. You’re looking through the nose holes and have no peripheral vision,” says Bird, noting it was also hard to breathe.
So then, why?
“Any time I can cover 26.2 miles, that’s an accomplishment. So I can either suffer my way through it, or I can have a good time and make people smile,” says Bird, founder and director of Run Chattanooga.