Miami Marathon Jan. 30

Entries for the 2011 ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon®, which will be held January 30 through the streets of downtown Miami, Miami Beach and Coconut Grove, are trending 18% higher than in 2010 and the race could top the 20,000 runner mark for the first time in its eight-year history.

More than 16,000 runners have registered with just under four weeks to go to race day. The deadline for entries is January 21, but registration will resume on race weekend at the Nissan Health and Fitness Expo presented by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald January 28 and 29 at theMiami Beach Convention Center.

The increase in entries is largely due to the growth of the running community both locally and nationally that is attributed to people's quest to live healthier as well as greater participation among females.

The Tropical 5K, a great family event annually held the morning before the marathon, is also experiencing an increase in entries over 2010, with more than 2.100 runners expected to run on January 29. The race will start at Watson Island and end on South Beach.

"The 2011 ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon® has earned its niche as a premier running event," said ING Miami Marathon® Race Director David Scott. "Through validation by publications such as Runners World and USA Today and also through word of mouth among runners throughout the country, people are sharing that this is a race that everybody has to run.

"You are coming to Miami. People want to visit our South Florida community. And this is one of the more scenic courses, if not the most scenic, in the country."

The half-marathon distance continues to grow in popularity. About 75% of all entries in the 2011 ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon® are for the half-marathon distance, which is very popular among women entrants because it is a more attainable distance than the marathon.

"Marathons and half marathons around the country are seeing a continual climb," Scott said. "I also think that with so much attention givento health reform that a spin off to that is that people are looking to be more active and healthier."

Entries typically surge in the final days before the race due to the resolutions runners make around the New Year to complete their training and test themselves at the marathon or half-marathon distance. Corporations are also encouraging their employees to be more active and get in shape and are offering them incentives to do so.