Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, June 26, 2015

Announcing the Chattanooga Marathon




New York City has one. Chicago has one. Boston arguably has the most famous one. Now Chattanooga has one.

A marathon, that is.

Last week, city officials announced the creation of the Chattanooga Marathon, a new community-wide sporting event. The first one will take place March 4-6, 2016.

Jim Coppinger, mayor of Hamilton County said, “We are incredibly excited about the creation of this new event, and how the spotlight continues to be on Hamilton County. We have the infrastructure for hosting events such as this, from world-class natural amenities for the athletes to providing an exceptional experience for spectators. We are anticipating that many participants will come from out of town, which will drive tourism, adding to the one billion dollar impact that tourism has on Hamilton County.”

The Chattanooga Marathon weekend will includes an expo, a fun run for kids, a 5K race, a team relay race, and half and full marathons. The never-competed-on courses will feature scenic views throughout the downtown, North Shore, and St. Elmo areas.

“The Chattanooga Marathon will be a showcase of what makes us a unique city,” said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. “From designing a course that runs through over a dozen local neighborhoods to testing tomorrow’s high tech sports applications using our Gigabit infrastructure, our marathon will be a one-of-a-kind event for both residents and visiting athletes.”

The event came together as a collaborate effort between government, civic and several other community organizations.

Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the announcement represented another great day in Chattanooga. “Our community has proved repeatedly that we can host events of this caliber,” he said. This is an exciting opportunity for us to add to the mix of events we already host. It gives visitors one more reason to come to Chattanooga.”

Online registration opens in July. For information on sponsorships and registration, visit www.chattanoogamarathon.com.

By David Laprad

New York City has one. Chicago has one. Boston arguably has the most famous one. Now Chattanooga has one.

A marathon, that is.

Last week, city officials announced the creation of the Chattanooga Marathon, a new community-wide sporting event. The first one will take place March 4-6, 2016.

Jim Coppinger, mayor of Hamilton County said, “We are incredibly excited about the creation of this new event, and how the spotlight continues to be on Hamilton County. We have the infrastructure for hosting events such as this, from world-class natural amenities for the athletes to providing an exceptional experience for spectators. We are anticipating that many participants will come from out of town, which will drive tourism, adding to the one billion dollar impact that tourism has on Hamilton County.”

The Chattanooga Marathon weekend will includes an expo, a fun run for kids, a 5K race, a team relay race, and half and full marathons. The never-competed-on courses will feature scenic views throughout the downtown, North Shore, and St. Elmo areas.

“The Chattanooga Marathon will be a showcase of what makes us a unique city,” said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. “From designing a course that runs through over a dozen local neighborhoods to testing tomorrow’s high tech sports applications using our Gigabit infrastructure, our marathon will be a one-of-a-kind event for both residents and visiting athletes.”

The event came together as a collaborate effort between government, civic and several other community organizations.

Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the announcement represented another great day in Chattanooga. “Our community has proved repeatedly that we can host events of this caliber,” he said. This is an exciting opportunity for us to add to the mix of events we already host. It gives visitors one more reason to come to Chattanooga.”

Online registration opens in July. For information on sponsorships and registration, visit www.chattanoogamarathon.com. v