A Stillwater marathon? City Council to hear plan

Stillwater, home to some of the most beautiful views in the region, may use its scenery to hold a 26.2-mile marathon race that would start and end in the river city.

Dave Eckberg, the man behind Stillwater's annual Lumberjack Days festival, is scheduled to present his proposal tonight at the Stillwater City Council meeting. Eckberg needs the council's approval to move forward with the project.

The marathon, proposed for Sunday, May 24, would become the metro area's second, adding a spring option to go with the Twin Cities Marathon in the fall. Participation in marathons is on the rise across the country, and many of the competitions in major cities from Chicago to New York to Boston draw tens of thousands of entrants from all over the world.

In Minnesota, Grandma's Marathon in Duluth and the Twin Cities Marathon, which runs from Minneapolis to St. Paul, routinely fill up their registration slots early. Stillwater leaders say they're not expecting their proposed marathon to draw the thousands of runners and spectators those events draw, and certainly not in the first year.

"We don't want to overwhelm the city," said Eckberg, president of St. Croix Events.

He predicted that the event would be a boon for local businesses because it would attract participants and supporters to the city during the Memorial Day weekend. Those in town for the race would stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and shop at the local stores, he said.

Not everyone, however, is thrilled with the idea.

Eckberg says he's suggesting that instead of blocking streets off entirely, that the city officials use cones to designate the race route and still allow people to use their neighborhood streets.

Over the length of the course, runners would pass through Stillwater's historic, residential neighborhoods and along scenic roads in the countryside. The race would end in downtown Stillwater, with the finish line in Lowell Park.

Shorter routes would be used for other races, including a 20-mile run, a half-marathon and a 12K race.

Eckberg, who has been working on the concept for more than a year, said he has sought input from runners and organizers of marathons in other cities, including Boston.

Though he has talked about the idea with the City Council before, today will be the first time that he presents the details.

He nixed an early version of the course that would have sent runners up and down two hills near the Washington County Historic Courthouse. Nevertheless, the Stillwater Marathon would have its own version of Heartbreak Hill.

"It's called Silver Creek Hill, which is actually on Stonebridge Trail, north of Highway 96," Eckberg said.

While Boston's heartbreaker comes about Mile 20, the Stillwater version would test runners about Mile 18.

An attractive course is key to the event, Eckberg said.

"There are 350 marathons in the country, and the ones that survive give the runners the wonderful routes," Eckberg said. "It's got to be cooler than hell."