Well, it’s race week! And for Quad Cities Marathon director, Joe Moreno and his dedicated crew, it’s the busiest week of the year. And as history has shown for major events, tension can be high in the days leading up to race morning, but not for Joe and his team.
“It’s kind of eerie,” said Moreno. “But, it seems like we’ve got our stuff together and we’re ready.”
This year will mark the 18th year for the Quad Cities Marathon, and from a runners and spectators point of view, it doesn’t ever seem like improvements need to be made to the seemingly flawless event year after year, but Moreno begs to differ.
“There is a difference between correcting and improving,” explained Moreno. “And we always want to do both.”
And improve they did, as Joe and his QCM Race Committee added two huge new additions this year. The Charity Bib Program is where you can choose an organization to raise money for and when you hit a certain goal, you receive a free race entry.
“All the money raised goes straight to that company,” said Moreno. “We don’t see any of it.”
In addition to the Charity Bib Program, this will be the first race where the Run with Us program will be in effect. This program is targeted at financially disadvantaged families that would like to participate in the event but are financially unable to register.
“We just want the youth to participate who might not usually be able to,” explained Moreno. “Once they participate and have a good time, maybe they become a runner in the future and then the family gets involved in running as well.”
Anyone who has ever been to an event put on by Moreno and his team knows that from sunrise to the last runner crossing the finish line, they can expect a record breaking morning.
For those first timers, Moreno would like to make his message very clear.
“We try hard and we want to make a difference in the Quad City running community,” said Moreno. “If there is one thing I can look back on this year it’s how many lives we’ve touched. We’re excited about this race and ready to get it on!”
For more information on the 2015 Quad Cities Marathon and to register, visit www.qcmarathon.org
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