TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon are back this weekend, bringing thousands of runners and visitors to the Capital City.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to see that more than half of our participants are from out of the area,\u201d the Skrobs said.<\/p>\n
Many of those runners are expected to spend the weekend in Tallahassee, staying in local hotels and visiting restaurants and businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe visitors who are coming to town are staying at professional accommodations, going out to restaurants,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
Businesses near the finish line on Madison Street say they feel that impact right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really nice for that side of town that the business it brings, it\u2019s a good influx every year,\u201d said Coosh Willis, owner of Coosh\u2019s Restaurant. \u201cIt benefits everybody that has a business down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is absolutely a great economic impact, and yet it\u2019s really a bunch of people getting together to do something together that they normally wouldn\u2019t be able to accomplish on their own,\u201d the Skrobs said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> for a full list of road closures for Sunday.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n