Sports

Runners Get In Gear For Baltimore Marathon

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― The city is strapping up its shoe laces and getting ready to hit the road for the Baltimore Marathon.

Gigi Barnett reports the run brings millions to Charm City every year.

It takes days to train and hours to run, and this weekend, runners will set their marks in the Baltimore Marathon.

It's the largest and longest run on the streets of Baltimore.

With a little more than 18,000 runners, registration started Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium two days before the race.

Michelle Pierpont's first long race will be the half marathon of 13.1 miles. It will be a chance for the Calvert County resident to view Baltimore by foot.

"I did a race in Washington, D.C. Same thing, you get to see the monuments, an up close look," said Pierpont.

"I ran the Baltimore Marathon. This is my third full time, and I ran the half," said Ronnie Bass.

Completing it once means coming back for some runners.

"You have people who come all over. Can you think of a better way of showing the city off, and then have people run through it? There's no better way of doing that," said Bass.

And guess who else is running.

"You get chills up and down your spine watching these people finish, so I said I'm doing it," said WJZ's Mary Bubala. "It's a big deal, and you can sort of feel it here today."

For runners who aren't quite ready, there is plenty of gear to buy and vendors to sell. The marathon brings about $20 million to Baltimore City every year.

"It's exciting. People come here, they spend money, they stay in the hotels, and it's just a great effort to put Baltimore on the map that we have one of the best marathons that one can have," said Mayor Sheila Dixon.

All 50 states will be represented in the marathon, and runners from more than 18 countries will too.

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