By Lily Jaquith
Western Washington University communications intern

For the first time, half-marathon runners will be able to enjoy Edmonds’ scenic views as the city plays host to the inaugural Edmonds Half Marathon set for Sunday, Sept. 16.

Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling, USRA Half Marathon Series Founder Dean Reinke, Edmonds City Councilmember and running enthusiast Frank Yamamoto and Tammy Dunn with Snohomish Country Sports Commission came together Thursday morning to announce the big event.

The half-marathon is aimed at promoting sports tourism — a goal that many in Edmonds have been discussing in recent years — but Earling said it also is about fostering “a really healthy community concept.”

While this is the first event of its kind in Edmonds, the USRA Half Marathon Series has been putting on half marathons nationwide for the past four years, mainly in small communities that don’t already have one. In the Northwest, events are also held in Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Forest Grove, Ore.

“[Tri-Cities] has set the bar, and we hope to challenge that perhaps here,” Reinke said. The Tri-Cities run had 659 participants in its inaugural event last February, he said.

“We’re very excited about the potential… Frank [Yamamoto] has done a phenomenal job with the course,” Reinke said. (Yamamoto, who used to own the Running in Motion store in downtown Edmonds, still designs courses for running events.)

The 13.1-mile course will begin at Civic Stadium before going south along the waterfront. After that the runners will head through Woodway and back through downtown, then up Olympic View Drive and finish back at Civic Stadium.

“It’s a great course with great views.” Reinke said. “A couple challenging areas, [but] the good news is, people [in Edmonds] are used to it.”

According to Reinke, his organization is “in this for the long haul. Our intentions… are to try and make this an annual event [in Edmonds].”

The expectation is that the half-marathon will bring in out-of-town runners who are looking for a new challenge, he said. “Runners aren’t going to travel for a 5k… but a half marathon is something special… 30 percent of our runners come from outside the area,” Reinke added.

“Our initial goal has been 300 to 500 participants. We’re already at 70 entrants [for Edmonds].” Reinke said. “Usually the flood comes in the last month. We’ve had events that will have as many as 200 people that will register the last week.”

Runners and walkers are invited to participate in the event. You can register online at www.EdmondsHalf.com. Registration is $65, which includes a T-shirt and a commemorative medal.

For additional information visit www.usrahalf.com or contact Dean Reinke at 407-599-0568 or dreinke@msn.com.