Durham prepares for tourism boom during first-ever Garmin marathon :: WRAL.com

Durham runners are one step nearer to the beginning line of town’s first ever Garmin marathon.

6,000 runners from 46 states and 17 international locations will race by Durham this weekend.

Athletes will begin on the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and finish at Brooks Field at Duke’s Wallace Wade stadium.

“We’re excited to have the Garmin Marathon Series here in Durham, one of three destinations to have it,” Marcus Manning, the Executive Director of the Durham Sports Commission, stated.

Manning says the race’s financial affect might be vital.

“The hotels, the restaurants, the small businesses, all play a role, and they’re going to experience economic impact,” Manning stated.

Durham is taking part in host to increasingly giant sporting occasions.

According to the Durham Sports Commission, in FY25, sports activities tourism had a $14.2 million complete financial affect, with 48 supported occasions and greater than 93,000 spectators.

Garmin International’s Director of Advertising Steve Lovell says the Bull City was an ideal match, and at Thursday’s Expo, he pointed to constructive vibes.

“We researched over 50 different cities, trying to figure out what would be good space, places to go, where we could launch the cities at, and Durham just came to mind,” Lovell said. “I was looking for opportunities where we have a city that is unique but also doesn’t have large roots that are going on within the city, and those were two things we found in Durham.”

Just like Saturday’s race, protecting Durham’s tourism financial system booming is a marathon – not a dash.

“We’re excited that we’re able to recruit these events to Durham, but we’re probably even more excited to be able to retain some of these events as well, and again, it takes a collective effort,” Manning stated.

At 6:30 pm on Thursday, organizers will lead a Shake Out Run at CCB Plaza with the Crank Arm Run Club, described as “a lighthearted, easygoing run through downtown Durham followed by raffle prizes.”

The Expo runs till 7 pm on Thursday and runs from 9:00 am till 7:00 pm on Friday.

Even when you’re not operating on Saturday, there are highway closures you want to concentrate on. You can discover course information from Garmin hereExpo information hereand Race Day schedules here.