Myrtle Beach Marathon Update: No new record was set this year.
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The 14th annual Myrtle Beach Marathon kicked off this morning just before sunrise.
For many of these runners, months of training went into preparing for today's full and half marathon.
Participants have come from all over the United States and internationally including Singapore and Canada.
Each year the event grows and organizers find new ways to improve it. As runners compete, a chip they are wearing gives real time updates of their progress. This year runners are on a new course that affects less of Kings Highway.
Race organizers say registration for this year's half-marathon sold out at 4,000 runners. Though it appears the full marathon will fall just short of a sell-out, the total number of race participants this weekend will set a record at 6,800, about 200 more than last year.
With so many runners in town, family and friends are also on the Grand Strand to cheer them on. Organizers say about 17,000 people come into to town for the race. In all 15 hotels serve as host for participants.
