1,800 runners expected in city marathon, other races
Mar. 23—Nearly 1,800 people — clad in KT tape, utility belts and headlamps — will descend upon Bakersfield this weekend to join in the international tradition of paying to run an arbitrary distance set a century ago. So if you see swells of people running by with crazed eyes and dogged determination, don't be alarmed: It's not the apocalypse, but the Bakersfield Marathon.
It's an event that draws racers from across the country and around the world, said David Milazzo, the co-founder and board director of Active Bakersfield Alliance, which organizes the marathon. That said, 70 percent of this year's runners are from the Bakersfield area.
"We are a local race," Milazzo said. "But our mission statement is to champion the city and to invite the world here from the outside community and show them the best of what Bakersfield means to us."
Of the total participants, around 300 will run the coveted race, in staggered corrals. Races will start at the Kern County Museum at 7 a.m., and continue through three neighborhoods Milazzo said are demonstrative of Bakersfield: La Cresta, Westchester and Oleander.
There will also be a half marathon and some middle distance heats, which will take place in between on the same course.
The event was previously held at Cal State Bakersfield but was relocated after COVID amid health concerns raised by school administration.
"The museum is an awesome site to have our start and our finish line," Milazzo said. "There is so much history in and around there and we are thrilled with our new home."
On Saturday, a Health and Fitness Expo will be held at the Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. Participants can exercise their pre-race jitters by picking up their registration information and buying new gear.
Crews will begin closing smaller roads at 4 a.m. and major roads at 5 a.m. on Sunday. As the last runners advance through the course, streets will reopen behind them.
"By 3 p.m. everything is back to normal," Milazzo said. "We thank the community for giving us a little grace between the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. — we know we bring an inconvenience."
Milazzo said that after being a New York resident for some time, his opinion never changed on the place until he ran the marathon there.
"I sweat, and I bled on the streets of New York and it made me change my mind about the city," Milazzo said. "Would this change their mind about the streets of Bakersfield? I think it (would)."
This race is accredited by the U.S. Track and Field organization and organizers said that runners can qualify for the Boston Marathon if they finish under a particular time, depending on age and sex.
"We've had a number of people from Bakersfield qualify for Boston each year, and we've had some elites enter into the race," Milazzo said.
For more information, visit the Boston Athletics Association's website at https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify.
Online registration for the Bakersfield races is available until 5 p.m. Friday. People can also go to the expo on Saturday to register, or go to the Kern County Museum on Sunday morning for same-day registration, available from 5 a.m. until gun time.
Visit https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/CA/Bakersfield/BakersfieldMarathonandHalf for more information.
