Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event coming to Raleigh in '14
Posted February 26, 2013 1:10 p.m. EST
Updated February 27, 2013 7:41 a.m. EST
Raleigh, N.C. — The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, which has raised more than $283 million for charity in the last 16 years, will come to Raleigh in April 2014, Mayor Nancy McFarlane announced Tuesday.
The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance has partnered with Competitor Group Inc. to host the two-day event, which begins April 13 and is expected to drawn thousands of runners to the Triangle.
Under the partnership agreement, the city will host the event for three years. It includes a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Raleigh Convention Center, a marathon and half-marathon.
“We welcome the Rock ‘n’ roll Marathon Series to Raleigh,” McFarlane said at a news conference in the lobby of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. “This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our city’s love of sports, outdoor entertainment and world-class cultural offerings. We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of runners and their family and friends to visit Raleigh each spring.”
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the two-day event will result in $2 million in consumer spending in the area.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series combines musically themed marathons and half-marathons with live entertainment. The Competitor Group describes the races as "a 26.2-mile block party."
The Raleigh marathon will feature bands positioned on entertainment stages along every mile of the scenic course, interspersed with cheerleaders and themed water stations. The running experience is topped off with a finish-line concert featuring a major headline act.
