Thirteen fun facts about the 13th annual Baltimore Running Festival

 

 

Summer has given way to autumn and foot race season is in full swing. Baltimore City’s premier foot race event, the Baltimore Running Festival, is Oct. 12.

Lee Corrigan, a parishioner of St. Louis in Clarksville, is president of Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE), an Elkridge-based sports and event marketing firm that organizes the festival, which includes the Baltimore marathon.

 

1. An average of 1,500 runners registered for the festival each week
2. As of Sept. 24, the festival was 97 percent full
3. 27,000 runners are from 50 states and 24 countries
4. There can be up to 4,000 runners for the marathon; 1,100 relay teams; 11,000 for the half-marathon; 4,200 for the 5K; and 1,000 for the kids fun run
5. The five races are: the marathon (26.2 miles), team relay, half-marathon (13.1 miles), 5K (3.1 miles) and kids fun run
6. The Baltimore marathon is a qualifier course for the Boston marathon
7. Marathon, relay and 5K races begin at South Paca and Camden streets; the half-marathon begins at Light and Pratt streets
8. Charity teams include the One Love Foundation, which was formed in memory of Yeardley Love, a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, who was killed in May 2010
9. Catholic churches visible to runners and spectators include Ss. Philip and James Church and University Parish on North Charles Street
10. The festival is known for being spectator-friendly
11. Races finish between M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden   Yards
12. 22,000 bananas, 7,000 apples and 6,000 oranges will be distributed on race day
13. In 12 years, $8.7 million has been donated to local charities; $1.7 million was raised for local charities in 2012

Inside sports: Ellie Gonzalez is a national-class runner at Catholic High