Stillwater marathon decision briefly delayed

Stillwater's plans for a marathon this spring was pulled from the City Council's meeting agenda.

By ALLIE SHAH, Star Tribune

Last update: December 1, 2008 - 9:40 PM

Call it a false start.

A proposal to create the first-ever Stillwater Marathon in May 2009 was removed from the City Council meeting agenda late Monday to give the organizer more time to address questions raised by local businesses and residents.

Mayor Ken Harycki said the item was pulled by both St. Croix Events Inc., the organizer, and the Greater Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce.

"They're going to spend more time ... making sure the merchants understand the proposal," he said. It will likely be back before the council Dec. 16.

Dave Eckberg, president of St. Croix Events, had hoped to get the green light soon so he could start promoting the event. But he said Dec. 16 is not too late to decide. "We're not interested in shoving it down people's throats," he said.

The marathon, proposed for Sunday, May 24, would become the metro area's second. Runners already have the Twin Cities Marathon in the fall.

Last month, the City Council approved the concept of hosting a marathon and instructed Eckberg to work with city officials and others on the details and come back for approval.

Some downtown businesses have continued to raise concerns about the race's effects on business during Memorial Day weekend, the start of the tourist season.

The chamber held an emergency meeting Monday afternoon to discuss the matter.

At the last meeting, Eckberg sought to assuage concerns about parking and traffic, offering to create a park-and-ride for runners, for example. He has agreed to limit the number of runners for the marathon and other races that day to about 5,000 in the first year.

Allie Shah • 651-298-1550

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