Marathon de Mayo

Marathoners, tough cookies that they are, don't mind running in a little rain.

And their willingness to risk wet weather is an important cornerstone in the creation of a major new event during the so-called spring "shoulder season" for the region's tourism industry.

At least 3,000 runners perhaps as many as 5,000 will be in town for the Nevada Wide Open Marathon De Mayo on May 7.

That fills a weekend of sometimesuncertain weather that precedes the region's busy schedule of summer and autumn festivals.

Early registration includes visitors from 40 states, says Dianemarie Collins, one of the promoters of the event, and organizers expect that about 80 percent of the participants will be from out of town.

Tour packagers are putting together programs to hold some of those visitors for an extra day or two after the marathon, and marketing efforts throughout the West seek to draw even more out-of-town runners.

Nevada Wide Open Marathon de Mayo has been running a rotation of three commercials on 21 Charter Cable systems in four states since mid-December.

Organizers sponsored an information booth at the PF Chang's Rock & Roll Marathon, which drew more than 70,000 runners to Phoenix a few days ago.

And the event is advertised in magazines and Web sites that speak to runners.

The regions targeted by the marathon, Collins says, closely match those from which northern Nevada casinos attract visitors.

And runners, she says, are an attractive crowd for the tourism market.

"Marathons are an achievement," Collins says."And Baby Boomers are looking for healthy things to do."

The Nevada Wide Open Marathon De Mayo seeks to further widen its appeal by partnering with nonprofits such as Team in Training in which runners raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Ronald McDonald House.

The event is promoted by a for-profit venture, Marathon de Mayo LLC, but Collins says an affiliated nonprofit foundation hopes to donate at least $50,000 to charities after the event.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism, meanwhile, signed on as title sponsor of the marathon.

Bruce Bommarito, executive director of the commission, says state officials like the power of the marathon to draw visitors as well as its ties to the outdoor activities that are cornerstones of the state's tourism marketing.

"It's an outdoor activity," he says."It makes a statement about what we do in Nevada."

The Nevada Wide Open Marathon De Mayo, which also includes shorter runs and walks, is an outgrowth of 5- and 10-K runs that were part of Cinco de Mayo festivities in Reno in recent years.