MEMPHIS, TN - It's the earliest sell-out in St. Jude marathon history. St. Jude says the 8,100-spot half marathon race sold out Tuesday, August 31, 2010. But there is still a way you can get in on the action. There are several hundred spots set aside for St. Jude Heroes runners. To take part, you have to commit to raising at least $500 for the Children's Research Hospital.
Organizers say the full marathon is filling up fast, and prices for all registrations go up at midnight Tuesday night.
The event raised more than $2.4 million last year, not to mention the other benefits it brings to the city.
“Last year we brought in about 10,000 runners, about two thirds of the total were from outside a 200 mile radius of Memphis,” said Event Coordinator Dwight Drinkard. “We had 49 states represented. We had 37 foreign countries represented. We've become a nice little economic impact event for our city. All of downtown hotels are already sold out for a December event.”
The half marathon sold out in October last year. Drinkard says he credits the early sell-out to the seemingly recession-proof running industry. He also says raising money for St. Jude and the setting of the event here in Memphis are always big draws.
