The inaugural Mayor’s Marathon is right around the corner. Runners will have the chance to run around Loop 289 next Sunday. Even if you’re not running in the marathon, the race could still impact you because they’re shutting down the Loop next Sunday.
“When Dan, or Mayor Pope, came to me and said, “Hey would y’all like to support us in doing this?” I had to think about it for a second because I never thought of a marathon in Lubbock,” said Robert Taylor, United Supermarkets president.
The Loop is 26 miles around, which is the exact distance and perfect place needed for the first Mayor’s Marathon.
“Runners will only be on the outside lanes and so we’ll shut the Loop down basically like what you would see at a construction site or something like that. And we’ll be monitoring traffic to ensure we keep it off of the outside lanes, doing our best to keep traffic flowing,” said Chief Greg Stevens with the Lubbock Police Department.
Lubbock Police said they’re prepared to oversee the event, and they’ll be doing their best to keep you safe.
“If they have a safety concern or some kind of security concern, give us a call let us know so we can react to that. We’ll have a lot of manpower there, we’re going to staff it like we do other civic events,” said Stevens.
It is a big job for everyone and required months of preparation, so officials say they want the public to go out and have a good time.
“Wellness is a combination of what you feed your body and what you do with your body after you’ve fed it,” Taylor said. “I think we’ve got a great opportunity to make this a lot of fun.”
You can find volunteer opportunities at their website here.
The following is a news release from the Texas Department of Transportation:
Runners participating in the Lubbock Mayor’s Marathon will be hitting the pavement on Loop 289 on Sunday, April 22. The marathon is scheduled to take place on the Loop 289 outer mainlanes (counterclockwise traffic lanes) and will require the road to be closed.
“Local law enforcement will begin closing access to the mainlanes at 5:45 a.m. on April 22,” said Jeremy Dearing, P.E., TxDOT Lubbock District transportation engineer. “We anticipate having a complete closure of the outer mainlanes for several hours, but as participants progress around the Loop and an area is cleared of runners and aid stations, the lanes will reopen to traffic. All lanes are scheduled to reopen and traffic restored by 2 p.m.”
Motorists will continue to have access to the inner Loop mainlanes (clockwise traffic lanes) and most of the Loop 289 frontage road system, but two detours are planned:
- Traffic traveling on the northbound east Loop 289 frontage roads will be detoured around the Loop 289 section where no frontage roads exist (between 50th and 19th Streets) using Spur 331 (Southeast Drive), MLK Jr. Boulevard and 19th Street.
- Westbound north Loop 289 traffic wanting to connect with US 84 will be detoured at I-27 to Avenue Q, then west on Erskine Street to southbound University Avenue and US 84 (Clovis Highway).
Commercial vehicles following the Loop 289 hazardous cargo route will need to follow the posted detours.
“It’s important for drivers coming into Lubbock from other parts of the South Plains to be aware of the closure and have alternate routes in mind to navigate around the city,” Dearing said. “With the exception of a small segment on the westbound frontage road on North Loop, from north University Avenue to the Berl Huffman Athletic Complex, closed to traffic, the frontage roads and all major cross street intersections will remain open during the marathon, but Loop frontage road and cross street drivers should still anticipate delays.”
(News release from the Texas Department of Transportation)