Nearly 21,000 people are set to hit the streets Saturday for the races of the Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon — a record-breaking number, according to event organizers.
Over 6,000 people have signed up for the full marathon, which begins at 7 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of East Broad and First streets. Another 10,000 are scheduled to run the CarMax Richmond Half Marathon, which starts at East Broad and Seventh streets at 7:15 a.m.
In order to accommodate the various race routes, the Richmond Police Department announced a series of road closures starting as early as 5 p.m. Thursday.
The major roads affected include Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Belvidere Street, Broad Street, Cary Street, Forest Hill Avenue, Grace Street, Grove Avenue, Huguenot Road, Main Street, River Road and Semmes Avenue.
Marathon organizers have pre-loaded the course maps into the Waze traffic app for those looking for alternate routes around the city on Saturday.
The marathon course officially closes at 2 p.m.; most of the roads are scheduled to reopen by 3:10 p.m. Saturday, with 5th and Tredegar streets remaining closed until 5 p.m. Saturday.
The road closures will also cause detours and delays for several GRTC bus routes, including the Pulse — which will close stations from Scott's Addition to VCU Medical Center. However, GRTC said on its website that Routes 3A/B, 14, and 20 will still serve the Downtown Transfer Station to ensure customers can connect between routes despite road closures.
