The 11th annual Two Cities Marathon and Half takes off Sunday morning at 7 a.m. Meaning many surrounding streets in northeast Fresno and Clovis will be closed from 4 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Woodward Park, which serves as both the start and finish line for this race will not allow car access all day. Even the runners must pull off at the nearby River Park Business Park.
“Most of the people come from the Central Valley, but we have out of state people and from other areas in California and we're expecting 5,500 to 6,000 participants,” John Ganahl, Race Director.
Organizers of the Two Cities Marathon and Half spent all of Saturday setting up finishers village, where runners will wind up to grab awards and breakfast. It takes the work of about 1,500 volunteers to make this race happen.
“It's fun. It's beautiful to be out here in the park and come out and help and it's always an adventure,” said Constance Hatcher, a volunteer.
It can be an adventure for motorists as well. To maximize your time, stay away from Audubon Dr. up to Copper Ave. and Friant Rd. over to Willow Ave. until late into the afternoon. A portion of Old Town Clovis will also implement closures from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Your best bets to get around heading north and south is to take Willow Ave. Travel across Nees or Herndon if you're going east and west. These routes will be open throughout the day.
Fresno Police will have 30 patrol officers in the area to make sure things run smoothly. However, churchgoers whose destinations lie in one of the closed off sections are sure to be inconvenienced, so follow this advice.
“The best thing to do is to leave early, expect delays. Just understand this is a big part of our community, it's a positive event for a good cause,” said Jeff La Blue of the Fresno Police Dept.