According to a recent study by RESI, a research and consulting firm located at Towson University, the 2006 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival generated $14.8 million dollars in revenue for the state of Maryland. This number is up nearly $1.3 million from a year ago due in part to record entry of nearly 12,000 participants. $2.217 million dollars was also collected in state and local taxes. In six years, the event has resulted in $70 million dollars being pumped in the state's economy.

To determine the economic impact, RESI used information from other marathons, the Maryland State Department and Assessment and the Census. RESI assumed that for every Marathon runner, an additional 1.8 guests would accompany the runner. Based upon other marathons, all visitors spend approximately $177.50 per day and stay 2.5 days. Of the $177.5, 21% is spent on hotels, 21% spent on eating, 15% on retail, 18% on transportation, and 25% on entertainment.

The Spending Patterns for the Marathon over the Last Six Years

Year 	Visitors  Total 	Hotels 	        Eating 	        Retail 	        Transportation 	Entertainment 
2006	33,292	  $14,773,325 	$3,139,332 	$3,139,332 	$2,215,999 	$2,585,332 	$3,693,331 
2005	30,416	  $13,497,278 	$2,868,171 	$2,868,171 	$2,024,592 	$2,362,024 	$3,374,319 
2004	26,700	  $11,843,510 	$2,516,745 	$2,516,745 	$1,776,527 	$2,072,614 	$2,962,877 
2003	22,400	  $9,940,000 	$2,112,250 	$2,112,250 	$1,491,000 	$1,739,500 	$2,485,000 
2002	19,600	  $8,697,500 	$1,848,219 	$1,848,219 	$1,304,625 	$1,522,063 	$2,174,375 
2001	25,200	  $11,182,500 	$2,376,281 	$2,376,281 	$1,677,375 	$1,956,938 	$2,795,625 

"The Marathon has proven to have a significant positive impact for City and State Tourism," stated race director Lee Corrigan, president of Corrigan Sports Enterprises. "Since the inception of the event the number of out-of-towners that participate every year has grown from 25% to 40%. Our event has become a national and international event drawing runners from every state in the country and more than 24 different countries worldwide. We have been experiencing double digit growth since Under Armour has become our title sponsor. Based on the positive reviews from our runners' survey I would expect another record crowd for 2007."

As a result of this year's running festival, more than $600,000 was generated for local charities. This year the marathon initiated the Ferris Baker Watts Charity Chaser Program where Chris Dean started last in the race and tried to pass as many people as possible to raise money for the United Way of Central Maryland and Queen Anne's School. Dean finished the race in 3:57:03 and passed 2,086 runners along the way resulting in $6,258 being donating to the two charities. Some of the other beneficiaries this year were The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Baltimore Reads, Moveable Feast, Special Olympics of Maryland, Parkinson's Foundation Strive, Baltimore Fire Foundation, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Ronald McDonald House, C.A.S.E., and Health Care for the Homeless, to name a few. Since the inception of the event in 2001, more than $3 million dollars has been raised for charity. "The Renaissance Hotel has been a proud supporter of the Marathon since day one," commented John Davis, sales manager. "This year we experienced a sellout over the weekend in large part because of the Marathon. Additionally, the event seems to attract an upscale demo that we strive to showcase our property to. We look forward to being a partner of the Baltimore Marathon again next year."

The seventh annual Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival will take place on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at M&T Bank Stadium. Online registration will open on December 1, but mailed and faxed applications are currently being accepted.

For more information visit www.thebaltimoremarathon.com.