Grand Lake Marathon ready to race into area

CELINA - Preparation for the Grand Lake Marathon has been a marathon in itself for first-year race director Ryan King and organizers.

King expects all that work will be worth it when thousands of people show up Saturday for the third annual marathon.

"The event itself I would say has been what we expected, but the people have been fantastic up there. That's probably been the biggest surprise, how welcoming and excited and how involved they all are," said King. "I think they recognize it's a good thing for the area and they're very supportive of it. It's been great."

The event, which also includes a half marathon, marathon relays, a kids' and seniors' marathons and a 5K, kicks off at 7:30 a.m. Registration for the races remains open through the week.
King and his wife, Amanda, are co-owners of Can't Stop Running Co., a running specialty retailer in Piqua. Can't Stop Running also doubles as a race-timing company, using professional chip-timing software for running and cycling races all around Southwest Ohio.

The Kings took over for previous organizers Roger and Christina Bowersock of Rocketship Sports. The races have attracted more than 3,000 participants over the last two years. This year's races are expected to draw 1,400 participants, the same number as in 2015, Ryan King said.

Hundreds of volunteers, vendors, non-profit organizations and sponsors have worked to make Saturday a grand experience for all. Live entertainment will be featured at various sites along the course. The finish areas will be livened up for the Finish Line Festival, with official beer sponsor Moeller Brew Barn on hand at both finish sites, along with food vendors and live music.

"There's going to be more vendors, more activities going on than there had been in the past," King said. "We're hoping to make it a fun area for spectators where they can maybe pick up a beer, grab some food, watch the race and celebrate everybody coming in."

The marathon is sanctioned by the U.S.A. Track and Field as a Boston Marathon qualifier. Spectators will be able to track the progress of their runners thanks to a new live GPS tracking made possible by the sponsorship of Celina's Vein Care Center.

A pre-race carb-loading session will be available for runners, their families and others who have helped with the event from 4-7 p.m. on Friday night at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. Proceeds will help support House of Hope. Attendees can RSVP by emailing rsvpcsrc@gmail.com.

Additional information can be found at www.grandlakemarathon.com or on the group's Facebook page.

"The countdown is on," King said. "We've got shirts now. We've got medals. A lot of that stuff is in place, so really it's really getting down to the final logistics of everything. We're excited. Obviously, we're hoping the weather is going to be good. We're excited about what the day can bring."

Road closings listed:

Drivers should prepare for road closures and delays on Saturday with nearly 1,400 runners expected to participate in the third annual Grand Lake Marathon, half marathon, seniors' and kids' marathons and 5K races.

The Mercer County Sheriff's Office reported state Route 703 east of Celina on the north side of the lake will be closed from 7-9:30 a.m. State Route 703 running from Montezuma to U.S. 127 will have one-lane traffic heading northwest from about 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Guadalupe Road and Burge Road will be closed from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

State Route 219 through the Montezuma area will have one-lane traffic in both directions around the hours of 9 a.m.-2 p.m. U.S. 127 will be closed between state Route 219 and Lake Shore Drive from 7:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

In Auglaize County, state Route 703 will be shut down from St. Marys to Celina during the event. Closings will allow runners to follow Edgewater Drive to Parkway Drive and then Gordon Park.

Runners will proceed along Grand Lake's east bank, following state Route 364 to Southland Road, where participants will turn west and return to Mercer County. Feeder Road will be closed from state Route 364 to Greenville Road and Greenville Road will be closed from state Route 364 to St. Marys Tri Township Road.

State Route 364 will not be closed. However, motorists will be stopped periodically at the Feeder Road entrance and Southland Road intersection so runners can cross. Also, traffic will be periodically stopped at state Route 219 and Tri Township Road so runners can cross state Route 219.