Two Bear Marathon is big draw

The third annual Two Bear Marathon will host the largest and most geographically diverse group of runners yet, with 86 runners from 24 states and three foreign countries registered so far.

"The past two years, around half of our runners had registered by the end of July," said Two Bear race director Gayle Weinberg. "That would put us at around 170 runners on race day."

This year's race will take place Sept. 16 starting at 7:30 a.m.

The tough 26.2-mile course has already earned respect in the national and international running community, with profiles appearing in "Runner's World" magazine and other publications. Runners from as far away as Germany and Mexico will pit themselves against the scenic but challenging 2007 Two Bear.

"We're encouraging our local runners to step up and meet the Two Bear challenge," said co-director Brad Seaman. "We can't let all of these out-of-town runners get all the glory."

One hundred percent of Two Bear entry fees will go to the Wave Scholarship Fund, which provides no-cost and low-cost memberships to The Wave health club for those in need.

For more information, visit online at www.twobearmarathon.org.