See the Baltimore Running Festival Web site for complete information on the weekend events.

More than 12,000 runners will hit the streets of Baltimore on Saturday, October 15, 2005 beginning at 8 am near the M&T Bank Stadium for the Fifth Annual Baltimore Running Festival, which includes the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, Care First BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon, Legg Mason Team Relay and United Way 5K Run. The 26.2 mile course which winds through Baltimore streets, neighborhoods and parks attracts participants ranging from international elite athletes to recreational joggers.

This year's event has drawn a record number of participants for a third year in a row and the number out-of-town participants have continued to increase steadily since the inception in 2001. The half-marathon sold out for the third year running and the marathon is less than 500 people away from selling out.

Runners from 47 states and 24 countries are registered to compete in this year's event. The event brings more than 10 million dollars in revenue annually to the city and has donated more than two million to local charities.

In addition to the running competitions, runners and nonrunners can enjoy finish line excitement at the Celebration Village, located at M&T Bank Stadium. Celebration Village admission is free and offers music, children's activities and the runners' awards ceremony.

For the first time, the marathon route includes the Fort McHenry National Monument Historic Shrine, one of only a handful of road races to go through National Monument. "Running through Fort McHenry is a great opportunity for the runners to experience one of our city's beautiful attractions and one of our country's great Historic Landmarks," stated Lee Corrigan, Principal of Corrigan Sports Enterprises, which organizes the Festival. Among the other new additions to the course this year is a jaunt past the harbor along Lancaster Street and up Hillen Road to Shadyside Road and then back down to 33rd Street.

The Baltimore Running Festival is produced by Corrigan Sports Enterprises, a leader in sports promotions in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. region. Founded in 1991, CSE owns and operates the following events: Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, The Charm City Challenge All-Star Basketball Game, The Capital Classic, the Toyota Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the Scion Trash & Jam (Extreme Sports) and the annual BikeJam event.