The 30th Anniversary of the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon will be held Saturday, Nov. 14 and race organizers find themselves with a unique problem – the marathon and half-marathon are sold out weeks earlier than ever before.

Last year’s marathon, half marathon and junior marathon had the largest turn out in its history, with over 600 registrants for the marathon, 700 registrants for the half marathon and 250 registrants for the junior marathon.

Word of the marathon’s historical offerings, picturesque course and small town charm brought runners from 35 states and five countries. The runners enjoy beautiful weather while running past deer grazing on the battlefield and monuments paying silent homage to the 34,000 casualties of the Battle of Chickamauga.

Produced by the Chattanooga Track Club, 1,800 participants have reserved their spot with many loyal runners from years past left out of the 2009 event. Chattanooga Track Club volunteer Doug Roselle will again serve as race director and was surprised at how quickly the race filled. “When we changed the staging location for the race to historic Barnhardt Circle we hoped it would be well received by the runners. Being sold out this early tells me we’re onto a winning formula.” The Fort Oglethorpe Tourism Committee returns as the presenting sponsor with help from the City of Fort Oglethorpe’s police, fire and public works departments. “The city rolled out the red carpet for us and the result was great reviews from the runners and their families on the wonderful experience they had,” added Roselle.

For those runners who didn’t land a spot, Roselle is quick to point out any number of race day activities that the Track Club needs help with such as registration and packet pick up, race day set-up, aid station, sentry duty on the course, medical support, finish line support and clean up. While members of the Chattanooga Track Club will receive Runner of the Year points for volunteering at this event, anyone interested in being a part of this exciting event can sign-up at www.battlefieldmarathon.com by clicking on the Volunteer link and following the instructions.

Fort Oglethorpe businesses are also encouraged to show their support for the runners by putting welcome messages on their business marquis or electronic boards.