FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MetroPCS Dallas Marathon Unveils New Course for 2014
Marathon President Patrick Byerly and
Board Members Run Course During Live Reveal
DALLAS (Oct. 2, 2014) - The Dallas Marathon organization today announced
the course routes for the 2014 MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, Half Marathon and
Behringer Relay with a fun twist: Dallas Marathon President Patrick Byerly
ran the course joined throughout the morning by fellow runners Mark
"Hawkeye" Rybczky, a Dallas Marathon board member and KSCS disc jockey, and
Dallas Marathon Chairman Kevin Snyder. A Dallas Police Department escort
flanked Byerly and the other runners, while the organization provided live
social media updates from the course.
The new course for the 44th running of the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon focuses
on enhancing the runner experience and creating more fun and accessible
ways for spectators to be engaged on race day.
"We wanted to develop an entertaining and memorable experience for all
participants in the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon," said Byerly. "The 2014
course provides new and exciting entertainment destinations for the
thousands of runners and spectators who participate on race day and
highlights the best areas of Dallas. We're paying tribute to our race's
history, dating back to 1971, by running at White Rock Lake and also
featuring revitalized neighborhoods like Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum.
Today's preview of the course was just the beginning of the fun we expect
to have December 14."
City of Dallas construction necessitated course modification from previous
years, as several key areas will be inaccessible on race day. All runners
will start in downtown Dallas near the intersection of Young and Griffin
Streets, adjacent to Pioneer Plaza. They will pass through Deep Ellum,
Uptown and West Village before entering the Turtle Creek neighborhood and
running through Highland Park. After crossing through the M Streets,
runners will hit Greenville Avenue at the Granada Theater and head south,
following the same route as the Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade through the
popular Lower Greenville corridor full of restaurants and bars.
Marathon and half marathon participants will run together for the first 9.5
miles. Marathon runners will break off and pass through Lakewood to the
"Dolly Parton Hills" and White Rock Lake before returning via the Santa Fe
Trail to merge with the half marathon course for the final miles of the
race. This is the first year the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon has incorporated
the Santa Fe Trail.
All participants approach the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon finish line on a
downgrade heading west into downtown Dallas, passing the iconic Dallas City
Hall building and seeing Reunion Tower loom ever larger in their view. The
finish line is the same as the start line, along Young Street near Pioneer
Plaza and adjacent to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
"Runners and spectators will notice that the course is more residential by
design this year. We're bringing the race to the people of Dallas, but
doing so in a way that uses new running areas such as the Santa Fe Trail to
minimize our overall impact on traffic and street closures," said Byerly.
Top spectator viewing areas in 2014 will include:
- Start/finish line: Downtown Dallas near Pioneer Plaza
- Mile 3: Uptown and West Village passing The Rustic, Mutts Canine
Cantina and West Village
- Miles 4-6: Turtle Creek neighborhood
- Mile 6: Highland Park, including newly renovated Highland Park City
Hall
- Miles 8-9: Along Greenville Avenue passing Granada Theater, popular
restaurants, bars, rooftops and patios
- Mile 10: Half marathon/marathon split, and the marathon out and back
gives spectators first opportunity to see a runner pass by multiple times
from one viewing location
- Mile 11 & 22 (marathon): Lakewood Shopping Center
- Mile 13 & 18 (marathon): Viewing party along White Rock Road with
runners completing the "Dolly Parton Hills" and heading to White Rock Lake
- Mile 18 (marathon): Along the Santa Fe Trail bordered by East Dallas
beer garden The Lot
- Mile 12 (half marathon)/25 (marathon): Deep Ellum neighborhood
passing Sandbar Cantina & Grill, Double Wide and Deep Ellum Dog Park
Dallas Marathon officials worked with City of Dallas officials, the Dallas
Police Department and DART to finalize the race course. The 2014 MetroPCS
Dallas Marathon course will be certified to distance by USA Track & Field.
The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, Half Marathon and Behringer Relay is Sunday,
December 14. For more information or to register, visit dallasmarathon.com.
About the Dallas Marathon
The Dallas Marathon is a nonprofit organization with a focus of promoting
health and physical fitness through running events and related activities.
Dating back to 1971, the organization hosts year-round events culminating
with Dallas' largest and Texas' oldest running marathon: the MetroPCS
Dallas Marathon. Now in its 44th running, the marquee property attracts
runners from across the globe and hundreds of thousands of spectators to
Dallas' largest single-day sporting event. The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon
race course highlights iconic Dallas landmarks and is recognized as The
Official Marathon of the City of Dallas. Since naming a primary beneficiary
in 1997, the Dallas Marathon has donated more than $3.5 million to Texas
Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. For more information, visit
www.dallasmarathon.com.
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