MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Thousands of people will travel to the Grand Strand this weekend for the 7th annual Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and many events are taking place.
New this year, the Coastal 5K and dog friendly 1-mile Doggie Dash moves to The Market Common. The 5K begins at 7:30 a.m. and loops through The Market Common and Grand Park.
The Mini Marathon itself is 13.1 miles and is being held on Sunday, beginning at 7:00 a.m. and runners will get plenty of beach front along the route.
Racers start at Coastal Grand Mall, hit the pavement on Robert Grissom, and then cruise along Ocean Boulevard before finishing up at the boardwalk for a post-race party at Plyler Park.
The attached map shows the course route, as well as the times that intersections are expected to be closed while the runners are passing. Highway 17 Bypass is not part of the race course, so use US 17 to travel north and south this Sunday morning.
On-going flooding around the area is impossible to ignore, so the race organizer, Robert Pozo, pledged not only a check to the local Red Cross in support of relief efforts; but also his own paycheck for the week.
“I’ve gone through Andrew years ago, I’m from Miami and I know how devastating a hurricane can be. Even though you look around you see some parts look wonderful, others are hurting,” said Pozo
Pozo said it will probably be a down year for attendance, but at least 3,500 runners are still expected to participate.
A Health & Fitness Expo will feature many exhibitors with the latest trends, designs, and advances in running shoes and apparel. It is free and being held at the Crabtree Memorial Gymnasium. Hours on Friday are from 4:00 p.m 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Expo is also the Official Packet Pick-Up Headquarters. All race packets for the half marathon must be picked up at the Expo.
And its while it’s too late to get in shape for the mini marathon, it’s not too late to register for any of the events, just visit www.runmyrtlebeach.com.
