The Boston Marathon is regarded as one of the most prestigious race in the world and for many runners qualifying for Boston represents the completion of a lifelong running goal. To qualify to run in the Boston Marathon runners have to run at a USATF Certified marathon and meet certain qualifying times based on their age group. FindMyMarathon.com provides information on USATF Certified courses in each state including the percentage of runners who qualified for the Boston Marathon. In 2023, 11.71% of runners at the Salina Crossroads Marathon achieved a Boston Marathon qualifying time, which was the highest of any marathon in Kansas. The Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene was second with 9.88% followed by the Garmin Olathe Marathon with 9.75%. Other marathons in Kansas include Gobbler Grind Marathon in Overland Park with 9.52%, Prairie Fire Marathon in Wichita with 5.80% and Little Apple Marathon in Manhattan with 4.62%.
The third annual Salina Crossroads Marathon will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 in downtown Salina. There are currently over 2000 runners registered from 45 states, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. The Salina Crossroads Marathon saw an increase from 817 registered runners in 2022 to over 3400 in 2023 and has set a goal of 4000 registered runners for the 2024 race.
The 2024 Salina Crossroads Marathon weekend will feature seven family friendly events:
- Marathon
- Half Marathon
- 5K Run
- 5K Walk
- Half Marathon Relay
- Marathon Relay
- Half-Mile Kids Run.
“One of our goals with the Salina Crossroads Marathon is to create a high quality event with fun race options for the entire family,” said Co-Race Director Daniel Craig. “In addition to having one of the premier marathons in Kansas we hope that the 5K run, 5K walk, team relays, half mile kids run, and opportunities to volunteer and cheer on the runners will enable the entire community to come out and be a part of an amazing marathon weekend. We appreciate the support from the City of Salina in helping us create a flat, fast, and scenic course and want to say a special thank you to Brent Buchwald and Sgt. Chad McCary for their support. We also appreciate the support of all of our amazing sponsors that allow us to be a Gold Standard race by providing 100% of the race entry fees to five local youth sports organizations.”
In 2023, the Salina Crossroads Marathon had over 50 organizations sponsor/support the marathon including Vortex Companies who was the Title Sponsor and Schwan’s Company who provided Edwards Cream pie by the slice, which was a huge hit with runners.
