RIGONOMICS:

The Orange County Marathon Expo weekend is off and running at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. What started off as a way to improve the runners’ experience on the race course has turned into a three-day expo. The 26.2-mile race course needed a change. Runners complained about running uphill on the lonely backside of Portola Parkway and the early January date that required them to train though the holidays. The marathon has always started in Newport Beach at Fashion Island but most of the race course was in Irvine where it finished at the Spectrum.

I do not exactly remember the moment last July when Orange County Marathon Chairman Scott Baugh asked me if I thought Costa Mesa leaders might be interested in having the marathon run though their city. Baugh had just met with the newly minted President and Chief Executive of the Orange County Fair and Event Center Steve Beazley to see if they could have the finish line at the fairgrounds. According to Beazley, he and Baugh hit if off famously. Their common link was fair board member and big-time politico Dave Ellis. Ellis greased the skids to speed up negotiations by telling them they could trust one another. Their game faces came off, and they worked out all the major deal points in that first meeting.

Only one problem left then — Baugh had less than six months to get approvals from four cities, Orange County, the Department of Fish and Game, Cal Trans and the California Highway Patrol, not to mention the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Plaza. After one meeting Anton Segerstrom and Paul Freeman, representing South Coast Plaza, gave the green light to move forward. They loved the idea of pulling the community together for such an event that raised money for 16 local charities. South Coast Plaza became a platinum sponsor.

My first calls were to then-Mayor Eric Bever and the rest of the Costa Mesa City Council. They all liked the idea. My next call was to City Manager Allan Roeder, who said in so many words, “Jim, this type of event is going to have thousands of logistical problems. But a premier event like this is just what Costa Mesa wants. If we can solve the problems, we’re in.”

Roeder handed off the project to long-time city employee and Public Works Director Peter Naghavi and Police Chief Christopher Shawkey to work out the details with race-course designer Gary Kutscher. Any way you lay out a 26.2-mile course you are going to close streets and inconvenience people. Naghavi said, “Our job was to run a marathon through Costa Mesa, disrupt the least amount of traffic and coordinate with police and fire to keep the city safe and operating during the race.” The marathon pays for all the police needed to direct traffic around all the street closures.

I do not have enough space here to list all the people who made this event possible, but needless to say this is one event in which everyone in the community pulled together to make it happen.

Leaving the expo at the fair grounds yesterday, I ran into a family who came from St Louis to be in the race. Half-marathoner and mother of two Dani Siebert flew out with her family to run in her first out-of-state race. They are spending Saturday night at a sponsoring hotel. In fact, runners from 44 states are registered to run. This is a nice little lift for the local economy. It is estimated that every runner brings three friends or family to support them. With more than 10,000 runners that could mean 40,000 people coming to Newport Beach and Costa Mesa to shop and dine. Not a bad boost for local shops, hotels and restaurants in the middle of a recession.

It is not too late to sign up for one of the many races. Besides the marathon and half-marathon there is also a 5K. You can register in person at the Expo at building 12 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. today.

If you would rather not run you can cheer on the full marathoners along the course. See the whole course at www.ocmarathon.com.

Come out and be part of the fun. Let’s show them what the people of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa can pull off when we all pull together for the community.

JIM RIGHEIMER is a Costa Mesa planning commissioner, a local developer and a GOP activist. He may be reached at jim@rigonomics.com.