something a little different and worth a read...marathon inside the
number$,
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,615153779,00.html
Marathon is a moneymaker
By Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News
ST. GEORGE - Thousands of runners are set to descend on Utah's
Dixie this weekend for the 29th St. George Marathon, an annual event
that pumps more than $1.5 million into the local economy without
breaking a sweat.
"Most of those runners are bringing family and friends with
them," said John Bradley, administration operations manager for the St.
George Marathon. "We get a lot of people coming into town for the
marathon and it just fills everything up from Mesquite to Cedar City."
Marathoners who neglect their lodging needs find help in Connie
Gardner, who specializes in locating rooms for runners.
"I'll probably get bombarded with calls today," said Gardner, who
works for Travel Utah. "It's a lot of work. We just have more people
than we have rooms for."
Of the 4,000 rooms in the St. George area, Gardner said on
Wednesday that she had only one left to fill. More rooms are available
in Mesquite, but that's a 30-minute drive from St. George and runners
already have an early morning start on race day.
"The only problem we have with hotels in this area is that some
undesirable ones will raise their prices by $80 a night. People don't
like that," she said.
Hotels, restaurants, retail shops and gas stations will all see
an increase in business from the marathon, said Bradley, citing results
of a recent online survey.
"We do a post-marathon survey each year and ask people how much
money they spent in those areas," he said. "On average, each
participant said they spent about $340 in marathon expenses."
In another questionnaire, filled out by 1,359 runners when they
registered, race officials learned that the marathon attracted a
diverse crowd of professionals, with more than 50 percent earning more
than $50,000 a year. A large chunk of those who responded said they
earned more than $100,000 a year.
The St. George Marathon uses a lottery system to select 6,700
runners from the list of applicants. This year more than 9,500 runners
vied for a place in the lineup.
"Over 60 percent of runners are from Utah," said Bradley, adding
900 are from Washington County alone. Runners from 47 states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and nine foreign countries will start
the race.
Another 12 percent are from California, including this year's
potential race winners, Steve and Heather Frisone. The couple's
projected finishing times put them first in the marathon's top 20 list
of men and women running the course.
The marathon is so popular, in fact, that race organizers keep
inducting new members to its elite Ten-Year Club, which boasts more
than 750 runners. Another 53 runners can boast membership in the
20-year club.
Marathon participants are loyal folks, said Bradley, and they
tend to return year after year to a race that Runner's World magazine
dubbed "one of the most scenic" in the world. The St. George Marathon
is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and Olympic Trials.
"A lot of people make hotel reservations for next year and hope
they get picked in the lottery," Bradley said. There's just not enough
lodging for those who want to enter the race each year, he added.
"That's our biggest problem, housing," he said. "We can't
guarantee they'll get a room."
Marathon director Kent Perkins notes, "Growth in motel rooms
allows for growth in marathon numbers each year."
But it's not just the thousands of St. George Marathon runners
who need a room this weekend. The Huntsman World Senior Games open on
Monday and organizers are expecting around 9,000 athletes to compete in
22 venues spread throughout the county.
The economic impact of the Huntsman senior games is even more
significant. Kathie Thayne, executive director of the games, estimates
the two-week event contributes $38 million to the local economy.