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Marathon brings out 20,000 runners--and an economic boost.

Article Excerpt
On June 6, some 20,000 marathoners, most of them out-of-towners, will line up in Balboa Park to participate in San Diego's high-profile running event--the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.

More than 11,000 participants are expected to fly into San Diego. Thousands more will arrive by car. They all have one goal in mind--finish the 26.2-mile race.

"It's not every day that somebody runs a marathon," said Tracy Sundlun, executive vice president for Elite Racing, the San Diego-based sports marketing company that is putting on the event for the seventh year.

Runners have plenty of marathons to choose from nationwide, Sundlun said. To ensure they choose San Diego's, Sundlun, Elite Racing founder and president Tim Murphy, and a 50-member team are enlisting 47 bands, 2,000 high school cheerleaders, and 5,000 volunteers to encourage runners along the way.

Sundlun's goal for the Rock' n' Roll Marathon--creating a major tourism event--has paid off handsomely for San Diego's economy.

Economic Impact

Last year, runners, their families and friends contributed $39.5 million to the local economy, according to Elite Racing statistics....

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