Return to story

Marine group moving half-marathon to city

June 13, 2007 12:35 am

BY REBECCA BLATT

The Marine Corps Marathon and the City of Fredericksburg are joining forces to bring a half-marathon to town next spring.

The race, called the Marine Corps Historic Half-Marathon, is moving from Quantico Marine Corps Base to the city. It will take place May 18 and include a 13.1-mile loop through Central Park and downtown Fredericksburg.

Mayor Thomas Tomzak, a proponent of the event, called the race a "natural fit" for the city.

"It's going to highlight the area, highlight the city, highlight our relationship with the Marine Corps, which we're very proud to be associated with, and highlight health," Tomzak said.

The mayor added, "I just wish my knee wasn't acting up so I could participate, but the rest of the City Council will be ready to go."

Kevin Gullette, Fredericksburg's Director of Economic Development and Tourism, said that he looks forward to working with the Marine Corps Marathon team.

"This is what this office is all about," he said. "We are very excited about this relationship, and we hope that this will be a long and fruitful one."

Gullette vowed to be in shape enough to at least start the event if not finish it.

The Fredericksburg City Council heard a presentation about the event at its meeting last night.

The race, up until now called the Quantico Half-Marathon, was previously hosted by a division at the base that oversees programs aimed at Marines and their families. It is being moved to Fredericksburg in an effort to accommodate a wider range of runners.

In an interview yesterday afternoon, Marine Corps Marathon race director and retired Marine Rick Nealis said he expects the event to draw 5,000 participants this year and more in years to come.

"The ultimate goal is that it doesn't become a regional or state event, but that it eventually becomes nation-wide or international," Nealis said.

He explained that a meeting at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center last summer sparked the idea to work with the city.

"The first thing I saw was a real positive welcome, a what-can-we-do-to-make-this-happen? And that stayed with me," he said. "I thought, 'If I had to put on a brand new event, this is the kind of community I would want to do it in.'"

Nealis subsequently met with city and law enforcement officials to devise a race course.

Jim Thull, president of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club, which organizes a series of races each year, said that he thinks the new event would increase participation in other Fredericksburg races.

"Runners that normally wouldn't come in would come in for this event and seek out other races," he explained.

Thull also said that he would schedule future FARC events around the new race. In particular, he would likely move the group's Memorial Day 10K to an earlier date.

"We'll set our race schedule up so that it will accommodate runners more, to get them better prepared for a half-marathon at the beginning of the spring," he said.

Jeff Van Horn, owner of VA Runner, a local running store, emphasized the potential for the event to promote healthy living.

"If you've got 5,000 people running through the streets of Fredericksburg, I think people are going to notice," Van Horn said. "I would hope that more and more people who maybe aren't leading an active or healthy lifestyle can see other people that are, and they might get the motivation to get out and do something."

Nealis echoed those sentiments. He said that he hopes adults participating in the race would inspire youngsters to exercise as well.

"Once they see that, I think that it's contagious, and then I think we'll be able to get the children away from the TV sets," he said. "Our real goal is to get our kids and children active."