ROANOKE (WSLS10)-- Runners from across the country are arriving in the Star City as local runners rest up for Saturday's Blue Ridge Marathon. The marathon has been named America's Toughest Road Race-- it's a run that really lives up to its name.
Do a search for the toughest marathons in the world, and you'll find the Antarctic Ice Marathon, The Great Wall of China Marathon and the toughest road race in America-- The Blue Ridge Marathon.
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As if running 26.2 miles wasn't hard enough, imagine adding 7,400 feet of elevation change to the mix. Steep climbs like Mill Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Peakwood have helped to put the Blue Ridge Marathon on the Map with more changes in elevation than any other race in the United States.
In its 7th year, this is a race that doesn't just get attention in our area, but worldwide, as runners travel to see just how hard it really is.
"Over the years, other races and people have tried to challenge our title," says Julia Boas, an event manager for the Blue Ridge Marathon. "We've actually sent runners to go run other races and invited ones to come and run ours that were making that claim. Hands down, they always say that our race is the toughest for a road race."
There will be runners from more than 40 states and six countries in town for the race. Some are first time visitors but others have been coming for years to enjoy the run.
For two Roanoke runners, they're using this weekend to do something that's never been done before-- run the 10K, the half-marathon and the full marathon, all in one day.
It all started when the pair heard about Zoe Romano, an ultra marathoner who decided to become the first person to ever run the Tour de France. Tom Mantey says he was inspired and decided to take on a challenge of his own.
"I decided before I was 50 to do something that no one had ever done," says Mantey.
"I thought it would be too tough," says his running partner, Janna Erlien. "But the more we talked about the pace we have to go and talked to ultra marathoners, it seemed more and more feasible."
Since February, the pair has been training for the 45.5 mile run they will complete on Saturday. They'll start at 2 a.m.-- running the 10K and half-marathon courses alone, lining up to run the full marathon.
While the distance for their first two runs are a little shorter, they're not going to be much easier. Tom and Janna will have to run one of the toughest stretches, up Fishburn Parkway to the Mill Mountain Star during all three of their runs. They'll run another tough stretch, Peakwood, twice.
"I think there's going to be some exhilaration and some pain," says Tom. "Someone said, 'Are you going to sleep the rest of the day Saturday?' I said, 'No, I don't think so, the adrenaline is going to be pumping through me.' But Sunday, I don't think there will be any lick of waking me up."
It's a huge challenge, but the pair says they're up to it.