The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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October 26, 2010

Our View: Community made Marathon a success

The Free Press

— Planners of the inaugural Mankato Marathon left nothing to chance when organizing Saturday’s event and by all accounts, the end product far exceeded expectations. It was a stellar event for the Mankato region and credit goes to the entire community.

For more than a year, a large group of city leaders, businesses, promoters and volunteers contemplated every detail for the city’s first marathon, half marathon, 10k and marathon relay.

They set a trail that avoided major uphill runs while giving runners impressive views of the river valley’s natural beauty. Restaurants and businesses geared up for the influx of people who would spend a long weekend here. Everything from traffic control to picking up litter afterward was painstakingly detailed.

There were more than three dozen businesses who helped sponsor and promote the event, through thousands of dollars in cash, in-kind contributions and time of their employees volunteering or planning. Race managers and organizers Final Stretch Inc. of Nerstrand did a solid job of coordinating the event.

Volunteers from the medical community including ISJ-Mayo Health, Mankato Clinic and others provided support for the runners as they made their way. Many businesses donated their time and resources to promote the event, provide food and other products and services. The YMCA organized the multi-restaurant pasta feed.

Primary sponsor Hy-Vee donated thousands of dollars, provided in-kind contributions and employees wore T-shirts promoting the marathon. Hy-Vee’s commitment as major sponsor was impressive and laudable. Other businesses sponsored the expo event at the Verizon Center that was met with widespread acclaim for the crowds that turned out as well as the assistance they were given by Marathon volunteers.

The Orthopaedic and Fracture Clinic sponsored the speaker series, and Scheels sponsored the Sport and Health Expo. SportsPix and Lime Valley Advertising helped with promotional materials. The cities of Mankato and North Mankato assisted with planning, logistics and feet on the ground.

Local media, including The Free Press, Radio Mankato and KEYC television reported on the events and provided several good human interest stories leading up to the event. Marathon organizers say that publicity may have been the main reason the spectator turnout was so above average. Organizers heard from runners that the Mankato spectator turnout was higher than some longer-established and bigger marathons.

Good marketing resulted in participation more than double what was expected — 2,200 runners — with many more having to be turned away.

By virtually every measure those runners, their families and friends and spectators left Mankato thrilled about how the marathon operated.

Already, hopes are high for next year’s event, with predictions of more than double the number of runners participating. That will likely require some tinkering with the route to ensure wide enough running space to accommodate more people.

It’s evident from the smooth operation of this year’s event, local organizers are more than up to the task of accommodating ever larger crowds.

CVB organizers say the event couldn’t have happened without the sponsors, the volunteers and the community getting behind what will likely be a signature event for Mankato.

The CVB staff also did a great job making this event successful. First-time events can be difficult to pull off perfectly, but by all accounts, this one was very close.



A complete list of sponsors can be found in the Marathon Guide online at http://is.gd/giTRV

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