Registration is now open for the seventh annual CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Frederick Running Festival. Interested runners are instructed to visit www.frederickmarathon.org to become a part of "A Big Time Race with a Small Town Charm." The running festival features a marathon, half-marathon, four-person relay, 5K and the kids' fun run.

The 2009 Frederick Running Festival will begin on Saturday, May 2, 2009 with the Health and Fitness Expo and will conclude on Sunday, May 3, 2009. This year's event will again see all races start and finish at the Frederick Fairgrounds.

Last year, an event record 5,200 runners registered for the event with all of the races selling out. Event organizers are expecting 7,000 runners in 2009.

This also marks the first opportunity for people to start registering for the Maryland Double, in which runners can earn a third medal for finishing either the marathon or half- marathon at both the Frederick and Baltimore Running Festivals (Saturday, October 10, 2009). In 2008, more than 800 participated in the Maryland Double program.

The CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Frederick Running Festival is being put on by Corrigan Sports Enterprises. Corrigan Sports Enterprises is a leader in sports promotions in the Baltimore/Washington, DC region. Founded in 1991, CSE owns and operates the following events: Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, The Charm City Challenge, The Capital Classic All-Star Basketball Game, the Toyota Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the Thrash & Jam Pro Skate Tour presented by Slammers Ultimate Milk, The Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic, and the annual Baltimore BikeJam Pro Cycling event.