Blue Ridge Marathon, Down by Downtown Happening This Weekend

The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon festivities and Freedom First Down by Downtown are both happening April 18-21, and with them are some wonderful stories that highlight our community and the incredible people in it. We are sure you’ll be around for the nuts and bolts of the event, but we wanted to give you some other ideas for potential stories for the weekend (broken down by day):

2024 Race Numbers as of 4/15

• Expecting 3,000 runners
• Runners from 42 states and Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the UK, Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario.

THURS-SUN

• Freedom First Down by Downtown: This is taking place all over downtown Roanoke April 18-21. There are 22+ musical acts at 18 different venues with the majority of shows being free.
  • Here is a full list of venues: https://downbydowntown/music-venues/
  • Headliner Margo Price playing on Friday at the race expo (tickets still available). (Weather is looking awesome; gates open at 4:30 PM)
• Event organizers will be setting up and available for interviews in Elmwood Park for the majority of Thursday.

FRIDAY

• Event organizers will be setting up and available for interviews in Elmwood Park beginning at 8 AM.
• Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon Welcome Expo: great opportunity to chat with runners, families, visitors, volunteers, vendors, and concertgoers. Location: Elmwood Park from 3-8 PM
• Headliner Margo Price playing on Friday at the race expo (tickets still available).

SATURDAY

• The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon, general race-day coverage! Race starts at 7:35am. Runners begin to finish around 9am and continue all the way to 3pm.
• This is our 15^th year!
• The marathon title sponsor, Foot Levelers, is a worldwide business headquartered in Roanoke and the reason this event is possible.
• This will be Alex Ferrari’s 250^th marathon.
• We’ll have our first blind runner, guided by a past winner of the marathon.
• In the last few months: BRM was voted best running event in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, and Best Half Marathon in Virginia on HalfMarathons.net
• 23 people will be attempting the Full GOAT
• 9 people will have run every single year since the start in 2010

SUNDAY

• America’s Slowest 5K presented by Altra: NEW LOCATION: Black Dog Salvage! This is a 5k where you’re encouraged to mosey, socialize, sip coffee, and just relax. There will be live music, goat yoga, and Black Dog Salvage’s artisan market. The “race” begins with the ceremonial “biting of the donut,” and the winner of the “race” is whoever finishes last, and their prize is a pair of Altra shoes.