TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon are back this weekend, bringing thousands of runners and visitors to the Capital City.
Co-race directors Kory and Robert Skrob say just under 3,000 runners have signed up, with participants coming from 33 states across the country.
“It’s really exciting to see that more than half of our participants are from out of the area,” the Skrobs said.
Many of those runners are expected to spend the weekend in Tallahassee, staying in local hotels and visiting restaurants and businesses.
“The visitors who are coming to town are staying at professional accommodations, going out to restaurants,” they said.
Businesses near the finish line on Madison Street say they feel that impact right away.
“It’s really nice for that side of town that the business it brings, it’s a good influx every year,” said Coosh Willis, owner of Coosh’s Restaurant. “It benefits everybody that has a business down there.”
According to a Leon County spokesperson, from a tourism standpoint, sporting events are one of the recurring drivers of overnight stays and local spending. County-wide, visitors generated 2.49 million visits and $807.7 million in direct spending in fiscal year 2024.
“It is absolutely a great economic impact, and yet it’s really a bunch of people getting together to do something together that they normally wouldn’t be able to accomplish on their own,” the Skrobs said.
Organizers say a portion of the proceeds will go to the Foundation for Leon County Schools, helping fund travel for running programs at Title I schools on the south side.
Event organizers also say that about 90 Tallahassee Police Department officers will be out on race day, Sunday, to help keep everyone safe. Click here for a full list of road closures for Sunday.
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