Sports
Columbia's Iron Girl Half Marathon to Bolster Security after Boston Bombings
An organizer said the race through Town Center in Columbia will have a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Organizers of the Iron Girl Half Marathon, set to take place in Columbia’s Town Center on April 28, said Wednesday they are working with police to bolster security after a bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday killed three and injured more than 130.
“We are working with police and emergency management services to address additional security measures and procedures for the race,” said Kari Ebeling, chief operating officer of TriColumbia.
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“We’re going to take all the precautions they advise us to take,” said Ebeling.
Ebeling said organizers plan to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing with a moment of silence before the race. She said the area running community has been standing in solidarity with Boston and called the tragic events on Monday, “horrible.”
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The Iron Girl Half Marathon began last year as a community event for local and area runners, said Ebeling. Last year, about 2,600 runners competed in the co-ed 5k event and the 13.1-mile women’s half marathon.
“It’s about a community of women doing a half marathon,” said Ebeling. “It’s way more of an event than it is a race.”
She said so far this year, about 2,000 runners have registered for the race. Registration will be kept open until Saturday, and Ebeling said runners interested in running can show up the day of the event and register.
She also encouraged the local community to come out and support the runners.
“I think people that are competing love to have people cheering them on,” said Ebeling. “We have neighborhoods that the race will run through and people will put their lawn chairs out and cheer as runners go by. It’s neat to see that happen.”
The race starts at 7 a.m. for the women's half marathon and around 7:30 a.m. for the co-ed 5k. The start and finish is located near the Sheraton Hotel. Ebeling expected most runners to be finishing the course around 11 a.m.
The race kicks off the 2013 season for TriColumbia, which organizes a series of races, including marquee events like the Columbia Triathlon on May 19 and the Iron Girl Triathlon on Aug. 18.
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