Ready or Not, National Marathon Nears 1st Running

Only six months after obtaining permit approval, the inaugural National Marathon will be road-tested by some 800 runners tomorrow morning starting at RFK Stadium. But while race organizers trumpet their achievement, not everyone is impressed.

Race officials envisioned starting a tradition that could one day rival the popular Marine Corps Marathon, in which up to 20,000 runners participate annually. In announcing the event last fall, National Marathon officials boasted they would limit entries to 5,000 runners. Aside from the relatively brief marketing time, that goal was made even more difficult by a 4-hour 30-minute qualifying standard that eliminated many slower runners and some groups that might have run or walked the 26.2-mile distance to raise funds for charity.

The qualifying standard was deemed necessary to get runners off downtown streets on what promises to be a busy Saturday in the District, with the NCAA tournament basketball games at Verizon Center and the kickoff for the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the National Building Museum.

"Of the 18 new marathons in this country last year, not one had more than 1,000 runners," said Bob Sweeney, president of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, which is hosting the event. "We've got 2,000," counting the 1,200 runners who also registered for the half marathon. Individual entry fees are between $55 and $80.

Rick Nealis, longtime Marine Corps Marathon race director, wonders whether a less-than-overwhelming turnout will force the city to reconsider issuing permits for next year's National Marathon and cause problems for future running events downtown.

"I wish they did hit 5,000," Nealis said. "It's a matter of delivery, coming through with what's been promised. We don't want to lose credibility for the sport."

The 34th Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run on April 2 will host 10,000 runners on a course circumscribed to limit its impact on traffic. Cherry Blossom officials have paid Metro to open early in order to accommodate runners this year and last. (The National Marathon didn't make such arrangements.)

"I am concerned about an over-saturation of running events in downtown and hope that the Greater Washington Sports Alliance will realize that instead of subsidizing an 800-person marathon it could enthusiastically support Washington's existing national and world-class events like the Army Ten-Miler, the Marine Corps Marathon and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom," said Cherry Blossom race director Phil Stewart. "These events have a record of major economic impact on the city and the potential to grow -- in our case several fold if our runner ceiling was raised."

That the National Marathon appears to have outrun the checkered past of the last non-Marine Corps area marathon is a tribute to the tenacity of race organizers. In 2003, just days before its second running, the director of the D.C. Marathon canceled the race and refused to refund the entry fees of thousands of registered runners.

"That was a brand killer," Sweeney said, and the ensuing scandal left embarrassed city officials reluctant to embrace a new suitor. In addition, race organizers failed to sign a title sponsor for this year's event, but Sweeney said he hopes to announce a title sponsor for the 2007 race soon. Likewise, a proposed expo in the two days preceding the marathon didn't materialize.

A relatively small prize purse -- winners will receive $1,000 -- makes a men's time faster than 2:20 unlikely. Michael Wardian, from Arlington, is among the favorites; Wardian ran 2:28:28 to win the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach last Sunday.

Runners were scheduled to pick up numbers and T-shirts yesterday and today until 9 p.m. in Parking Lot 7 at RFK. Tomorrow's marathon course heads west from RFK past the Capitol and along Constitution Avenue before reversing direction near Rock Creek Park. Heading east, the course will travel into Anacostia before visiting Prince George's County for Miles 16 through 23. The runners will finish back at RFK Stadium.

"Our intent is to bring a national sporting event to the community's front door," Sweeney said. "This is a showcase event for participants and the community."