With two months passed since registration opened for the 2008 CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Frederick Running Festival, Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE), the race organizers, have announced that enrollment is up 149 percent compared to this time last year. A total of 1,224 runners have signed up thus far, nearly half of which are for the half-marathon - an increase of 150 percent. In addition, 427 people are registered for the full marathon, a 252 percent increase from the same date in 2007. CSE expects an event-record of more than 4,000 runners to take part in the running festival.

The sixth annual Frederick Running Festival will take place May 3-4, 2008 and features fives races: marathon, half-marathon, four-person relay, twilight 5K and the new kids' fun run. There will also be a Health and Fitness Expo that will serve as the place for registration and packet pick-up. Everything, including the start and finish of each race, will take place at the Frederick Fairgrounds, which marks a new location for the event.

The 2007 CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Frederick Marathon Weekend saw an event record 3,200 people pre-register. Among the highlights were Michael Wardian breaking the world record for fastest marathon while pushing a stroller and Dane Rauschenberg starting last in the field and earning money for each runner he passed along the way as part of the Ferris, Baker Watts Charity Chaser Program. In the end, Rauschenberg raised $4,000 for the United Way of Frederick County

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Frederick Marathon Web site