By SALINA POST
More than 700 runners are already registered for the 2023 Salina Crossroads Marathon on Nov. 4.
The Salina Crossroads Marathon has set a goal of 1,000 runners registering, which would make it the first running event in Salina to ever reach the 1,000 registration milestone. Last year’s inaugural event was the first USATF Certified and Boston Marathon Qualifier event ever held in Salina and had 817 registered runners from 30 states. The event had an estimated economic impact of $446,296, according to an estimate by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce's Visit Salina.
"Having over 700 runners registered this early is amazing. We are excited that we already have more out-of-state runners registered than we had last year," said Co-Race Director Daniel Craig. "It is a testament to the hard work that our planning committee put into creating a high-quality event last year.
"Some of the things last year’s participants mentioned the most included excellent pre-race communication, the vendor expo, an epic electric guitar performance of the National Anthem, music and entertainment all along the flat and scenic course, amazing volunteers, high-quality custom-designed medals by Vortex Companies, burgers by Cozy Inn, and post-race entertainment," Craig continued.
The 708 runners already registered represent 19 states. According to information from the Salina Crossroad Marathon, 570 of the runners are from outside Salina, including 202 runners from outside Kansas, with Oklahoma having the most runners at 101.
The 2023 Salina Crossroads Marathon weekend will feature seven events: marathon, half marathon, 5K run, 5K walk, half marathon relay, marathon relay, and a new half-mile kids run.
"One of our goals with the Salina Crossroads Marathon is to create a high-quality event with fun race options for the entire family," said Craig. "The Salina Crossroads Marathon has a scenic course that showcases the amazing art and murals in downtown Salina, features four of Salina’s parks, and has activation points where community members really come out and support and cheer on the runners along the course. There are a lot of great races in Kansas, but by providing music and entertainment along the course and a great post-race celebration, we want to create a fun experience that will make Salina Crossroads unique and stand out from other races in the state."
Race organizers also announced that Vortex Companies will be the 2023 Salina Crossroads Marathon title sponsor.
"We are proud to be the title sponsor for the Salina Crossroads Marathon," said Travis Young, CEO of Vortex Companies. “I ran in the inaugural event and the organizers do a phenomenal job of making it a great experience for all that participate. 2023’s race should be one for everyone to look forward to.”
"Having a title sponsor is a key next step towards our goal of becoming one of the premier running events in the Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska region," Craig said.
Individuals who are interested in participating in the Salina Crossroads Marathon, Half Marathon, Family Fun Run/Walk, and Team Relays can register at https://www.runsalinacrossroads.com/.
For more information about the Salina Crossroads Marathon, go to the race's website at or follow its Facebook page .