SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The route for Sunday’s Sioux Falls marathon will take runners through some impressive parts of the city, said Jerry Palleschi, project director for the Sioux Falls Sports Authority.

“The beautiful part of (race) is that they see everything Sioux Falls has to offer,” Palleschi said.

Palleschi pointed out some highlights of the full marathon, half marathon and 5K. “It goes right by the Cathedral and that’s a beautiful sight,” Palleschi said.

Routes include downtown Sioux Falls and Falls Park as wells as the Arc of Dreams

Runners also appreciate another feature of the marathon. “The start and finish is at Howard Wood Field,” Palleschi said. Runners have said “that it’s really cool to finish in a stadium,” he said.

Sunday’s race will have about 2,000 runners. Palleschi said there will be about 420 runners in the full 26.2 mile marathon. Another 1,000 will run the 13.2 mile half marathon. About 400 will participate in the 3.1 mile 5K.

The race can’t happen without volunteers.

Paschelli said about 450 volunteers are helping with this year’s event. Volunteers operate the roughly 12 water stations while others are at race intersections to make sure runners can cross safely.

“We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without their help,” Palleschi said. “(The volunteers) are incredible.”

Volunteers come from throughout the community including from service groups and businesses, he said.

The event will draw will runners from 45 out of 50 states. Runners will also come from Canada, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands, Palleschi said.

Palleschi said about 65% of the runners come from the Greater Sioux Falls area.

“People will come in and stay in hotels, they will be eating in restaurants. It’s a big community benefit,” Palleschi said.

Spectators are another piece of the run. The Sports Authority encourages spectators to find spots along the route to watch the race and cheer for the runners.

The full and half marathon route maps include recommended spots for spectators.

  • Full marathon route map. The spectator recommendations are on the lower left. Sioux Falls Sports Authority map
  • Half marathon route map. The spectator recommendations are on the lower left. Sioux Falls Sports Authority map
  • 5k route map. Sioux Falls Sports Authority map

The full marathon starts at 6:15 a.m. The half marathon starts at 7 a.m. and the 5k starts at 10:15 a.m.. All races start and end at Howard Wood Field.

The race event will cause several streets to close. The event has also listed other streets where drivers should be cautious.

Full marathon runners must complete the course within 6 1/2 hours. Half marathon runners must complete the course in three hours and 15 minutes. The 5k (Miracle 5k) must be completed in one hour.

The Miracle 5k raises money for the Sanford Children’s Miracle Network. The full marathon is a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.