10,000 strong for a run

That sea of people you might see doing last-minute stretches in front of Fashion Island early Sunday morning?

They wont be shoppers looking to take advantage of some early bird special.

They’ll be among an estimated 10,000 runners trying to go the distance and complete the 2010 O.C. Marathon or run half the course. A record total of more than 13,000 runners are expected to take part in the full marathon, half marathon and shorter races, and other related activities taking place today, Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday’s main races are a 26.2-mile full marathon and a 13.1-mile half that wind through ocean vistas, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Irvine, and key landmarks like South Coast Plaza and the Orange County Performing Arts Center before ending at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

“This year is the most exciting year we’ve ever had,” said Scott Baugh, chief organizer of the marathon. “If you’re running in it, you’re going to get to see up front the exceptional beauty that Orange County has to offer. It’s a superior course, and this is a superior venue.”

And somewhere at the end of the races, a charity of choice will benefit from the runners’ hard work, like United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County, the Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area, Kristie’s Foundation, which helps terminally ill children, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the American Cancer Society to name a few.

In all, 31 charities will be trying to raise money.

“This gives everybody the opportunity to get together and help out,” said Elissa Goodwin, the captain of Team SPIN, which stands for Serving People In Need, a Costa Mesa-based group.

So far, there are 27 runners who will be running for the team to help raise money, a good chunk of which will help David Griffin, an Iraq war veteran who has been diagnosed with leukemia and is undergoing chemotherapy.

A former deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Griffin and his wife, Rebekah, and children, ages 3, 2, and 1, are having a hard time finding a permanent place to live, Goodwin said.

“We’re assisting them so they can get back on their feet again,” Goodwin said. “Our job is to make them self-sufficient.”

Baugh said there are times when the marathon, which will cost an estimated $900,000 to stage this weekend, will bring in excess of $500,000 in revenue for the charities. However, there have been years where the event did not raise any money for charities due to lower-than-expected turnout.

Peggy Fort, president and chief executive of California Marketing Concepts Inc., which markets the event, said the marathon is relatively new in its sixth year and hasn’t received the kind of exposure that, say, the Boston or Chicago marathons garner.

“It would be great if more people came out to watch it,” she said.

Runners can still sign up for the event today by visiting the Orange County Fairgrounds today and stopping by the Health and Fitness Exposition. The deadline for online registration has passed.

If You Go

What: O.C. Marathon

Events:

 Today: noon to 7 p.m., the Nutrilite Health and Fitness Exposition at the Orange County Fair and Event Center, Building No. 10.

 Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Health and Fitness Expo, Building No. 10

 Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., more than 2,000 school children run one mile of the marathon.

 Sunday: 6:30 a.m., half and full marathons, Newport Center Drive at Fashion Island; 7:30 a.m., the Wahoo’s 5K run/walk.

For more information on road closures and spectator locations visit www.ocmarathon.com.