People running the Sioux Falls 5K, half and full marathon this year will see some changes to the event, some big changes!

For starters, there will be new routes, and even a new race day for the 5K.

The plan now is to run the 5K on Saturday, September 12, 2015 before the President's Bowl that day. The main reason for the new start date for the 5K is to hopefully lessen the congestion for the runners participating in the half and full marathons, while allowing more celebration of the winners for each race.

The next day, September 13, 2015 runners will take their mark on an entirely different course for the Sioux Falls half and full marathons. The new course is still be finalized.  However, what is certain is both races races will start concurrently and will begin at the Premier Center and finish on the track at Howard Wood Field.

The new marathon course must first be approved so the event can retain its Boston Marathon qualifier status. Where on the Premier Center campus the race will exactly start is dependent on certification, which will be done backwards by an adjuster, starting from the finish.

Another reason for the change, is so runners can finish close to where they started, instead of having to get dropped off or find a ride back to their cars after finishing the race.

In previous years, the half and full marathon races had started at Howard Wood Field and finished at Sertoma Park.

Congestion and frustration often became a problem for runners getting out of the stadium and onto the main path on the old route. The new route once it's decided, hopes to end that problem for competitive runners.

The desire is to make the race bigger, and to do that we have to make it better, according to Wes Hall, executive director of the Sioux Falls Sports Authority and marathon race director. Hall says, "We're very small compared to some of the regional races, but we have the potential to make this a much bigger deal. We hope that starts this year."

Organizers of the Sioux Falls race are also banking on the new changes inspiring more community support. The hope is to make the event more of a community event rather than just a running event. Many runners love the energy that comes along with people in the community cheering them on along the course as they make their way to the finish line.

A new website for the event siouxfallsmarathon.com will be up soon. Hall says they plan on revamping the registration system as well.

Source: Argus Leader

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