The 45th annual Beach to Bay marathon is Saturday morning, and thousands of runners from the Coastal Bend and across the country are expected to run.
The 26.2-mile trail will stretch from Zahn Road on the Island, and end at Waters Edge Park on Shoreline -- several lanes, intersections, and exit ramps will be closed until well into the afternoon when runners are expected to wrap up the race. Preparations, along the race route, are already up and ready to go.
The anticipation has been building as runners are at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Friday picking up their race day packets.
It will be an unusually hot morning for the race, but many of the runners KRIS 6 News spoke to are not concerned at all about the heat -- just more focused on finishing their race.
The race has its standard 24 water stations set up along the way. Runners completing the whole marathon must start with a bottle of water, and these runners already know the key to success is staying hydrated.
“Absolutely we got to stay hydrated we have a fire department team from Station 1 on C shift,” said participant Joshua Brunemeier. “So, we've already talked about it in our group feed that we're going to stay hydrated get some rest tonight, try to load up on some carbs and hopefully run a good race tomorrow."
Getting ready
The Corpus Christi Public Works Department has been patrolling the marathon route over the last several days. Deputy director Sarah Munoz said they've swept and made small repairs to roads.
They mowed and tended to plants in medians, and they arranged for traffic control through a contractor and CCPD.
The goal, she said: runner safety. But the city also is impressing runners from out-of-town and out-of-state with all the amenities and beauty the city has to offer.
"We take a lot of pride in our facilities, and we are excited that we can show them to the many visitors and members of our community," Munoz said. The Beach to Bay Race Director Doug McBee has taken notice of the city's efforts, and he's thankful for them.
He's also mindful of the hot, humid forecast for Saturday, and he urges runners to hydrate well before the race.
Parking
There are several spots where you can safely park your vehicle if you want to watch runners cross the finish line The Church of Good Shepherd, First United Methodist Church and IBC Bank on Shoreline are offering up spaces to spectators. Most locations will charge $5 for parking.
Designated parking lots will have signs and people to direct you to the right spot.
RTA also will be operating a park-and-ride.
