Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Council Approves Plans for Annual Marathon

Plans for a local, annual marathon here have cleared their final hurdle.

The 26-mile, 385-yard race, which organizers say will promote good health and increase the city’s name recognition, was given the blessing of the Santa Clarita City Council this week.

“We’re always interested and supportive of major events that are going to bring notoriety to the city,” said Rick Putnam, director of Santa Clarita’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

The first Santa Clarita Marathon is scheduled for Nov. 12.

City officials said entrance fees and corporate sponsorships will cover the race’s $60,000 budget, which will include pay for nearly 60 law enforcement officers and the dozens of barricades that will be posted along the route to control traffic.

The race was first suggested four months ago by Santa Clarita’s KBET 1220-AM radio station and Santa Clarita Runners Inc., a 15-year-old running club that has about 200 members.

Organizers have already secured permission from the public and private property owners along the proposed route, Jerry Cherrington, president of the running club, said.

“The reaction has just been fantastic,” Cherrington said. “The community has really pulled together.”

The route is expected to be certified by the U. S. Track and Field organization a few weeks before the race, allowing runners to use their times to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon, Cherrington said.

“We (checked) on bicycles using their odometers, so we know we’re close,” Cherrington said.

Runners will get a tour of Santa Clarita and its trail system. The race will start in Canyon Country and then proceed along Soledad Canyon Road, past a Metrolink Station, through the William S. Hart softball fields, onto the city’s South Fork Trail, through part of Valencia’s paseo system and then through the parking lot of Magic Mountain.

No roads will be closed during the race, though some single traffic lanes may need to be shut down, Cherrington said.