Page 166 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2016

SPORTS & OUTDOORS on the run
166 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2016
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The rst Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon takes place December 9-11
story by Lynn Lofton
E photos courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon
xcitement is growing for miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), 5K the Mississippi Gulf Coast (3.1 miles) and kids marathon race Marathon as runners program (1.2 mile fun run).
register for the December The marathon will bring visitors 9-11 inaugural event. to the area during what is usually a
“Registrations are going slow time of year and is expected to great. We’re ahead of projections, and have a positive economic impact. Just
based on our trends we should hit our goal of 3,000 runners,” said Danny Bourgeois, marketing director for the marathon. “We are proud to be hosting runners from 27 states thus far. We hope to get all 50!”
The marathon is being billed as a Coastal Running Fest, a weekend-long event to celebrate the local flare and beauty of running along the scenic beaches from Pass Christian to Biloxi. There’ll be something for everyone. Races include a marathon (26.2
how much that impact will be is not yet known. “We will be working on that after the race,” Bourgeois said. “But I can say that in five years in Baton Rouge, our event, the Louisiana Marathon Running Festival, has generated more than $17 million from runners outside of the city. This figure is based on a study commissioned
by Kent State University and backed by economic impact models pulled together by our travel and economic impact partners.”