Thousands Participate In Oakland Running Festival
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Downtown Oakland and several other neighborhoods were alive on Sunday morning with the sounds of thousands of feet pounding the pavement, all part of the second annual Oakland Running Festival.
Runners taking part in the half marathon streamed down Broadway, one of several activities and races taking part over the weekend.
More than 7,000 runners signed up for this year's event with most saying they were happy the rain stayed away on Sunday.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said the weekend festivities provide a boost for local shops and restaurants.
"They estimate that we'll have $2 million spent today here in the city of Oakland," she said. "So obviously it's a punch in the arm for the economy."
Race organizers staffed seven medical tents along the course, but no major problems were reported. That comes after a 36-year-old man collapsed and died while racing in the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco in February.
Due to some traffic congestion on major streets last year, there were a few small changes made to this year's course.
Event organizers also said they increased marketing for the event to make sure Oakland commuters were more aware of the thousands of participants and spectators for this year's festivities.
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