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The Community First Fox Cities Marathon once again is the headline attraction for this weekend’s annual fall festival of running, but the 26.2-mile race through seven communities is by no means the only event worthy of attention.

Here’s a look at five other marathon activities that continue to draw thousands of people from near and far, either as participants, spectators or volunteers.

Half Marathon

About 2,000 people will enter the ThedaCare Half Marathon, compared with 600 for the full marathon, making it the most popular event.

Marathon spokeswoman Tara Perre said the race appeals to runners who are gearing up to a full marathon and those who are gearing down from a full marathon. The half marathon also appeals to runners who can’t commit to training for a full marathon.

“We see a lot of people who are just regular runners out getting in their miles week in and week out who say, ‘You know what? I want to be part of this event because I love it. I’m gonna run the half,'” Perre told The Post-Crescent.

Like the full marathon, the 13.1-mile course starts at the Fox Cities Campus of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (formerly UW-Fox Valley), 1478 Midway Road, in Menasha and ends at Riverside Park, 500 E. Wisconsin Ave., in Neenah. It passes through several waterfront parks.

“It’s one of those courses where there’s always something to see as far as nature is concerned,” Perre said. “It’s also really accessible for people to cheer and be a spectator.”

The Open Division starts at 7 a.m. Sunday and the Competitive Walk Division begins at 7:05 a.m.

Relay Marathon

About 150 teams will compete in the Orthopedic & Sports Institute Relay Marathon, which starts at the same time and place as the half and full marathons.

Teams consist of two to five runners in one of five divisions: Open, Female, Male, Family & Friends, and Business/Organization.

“It’s a fun way to make a sport that’s typically a solitary sport into a team sport,” Perre said.

Perre said the Kimberly Area School District will have about 70 relay runners. The district pays the entry fee for its employees.

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5K Run/Walk

Organizers expect about 1,000 people to participate in the Ascension Orthopedics & Sports Medicine 5K event.

“We see a lot of people who come out and do it as a family,” Perre said. “You’ll see strollers. You’ll see people with their dogs.”

The 5K begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. It starts and finishes at Riverside Park in Neenah.

Perre said $5 of every adult registration fee will be donated to the St. Elizabeth Hospital Cancer Fund.

Kids Fun Run

The Guardian Kids Fun Run will be held Friday at Fox Cities Stadium, 2400 N. Casaloma Drive, in Grand Chute. Registration begins at 3 p.m., and the event consists of three races.

  • A dash around the bases begins at 5:45 p.m.
  • A quarter-mile race around the warning track (one lap) begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • A half-mile race around the warning track (two laps) begins at 7 p.m.

“The kids get to pick their distance and see what they think they can handle,” Perre said.

The Huggies Diaper Dash — for babies who can crawl — will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., and the Huggies Toddler Trot will be held at 5 p.m. at the stadium.

The activities typically attract about 600 children.

Health & Wellness Expo

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists Health & Wellness Expo and Packet Pickup will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus in Menasha.

Perre said the expo will feature more than 40 vendors and will offer seminars about injury prevention and the benefits of cross-training.

“There’s usually around 5,000 to 6,000 people who will be going through the expo because you get the participants and you get their family and friends who are with them,” Perre said. “It is open to the public, so people will come in to check out what’s the latest in running gear or food and drinks.”

The full lineup of events can be found at foxcitiesmarathon.org.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.

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