Preparations for Battleship Marathon underway

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington will welcome thousands of runners this weekend for an annual tradition.

The 26th annual Battleship Marathon will be held on Sunday, with nearly 2,500 runners expected to participate.

The event will feature a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon, with the last two running over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge past the Battleship North Carolina and then over the Isabel Holmes Bridge back into Wilmington.

Race director Tom Clifford said the race can mean a lot for its participants.

“When people get to run this, they not only get to honor the folks who were on that ship, they get to honor their own veterans and people they may know that were in the military and then whoever they’re running for,” Clifford said. “You know, that’s the great thing about running races.”

The races start at 7 am and will go until 11 am.

Several roads will be closed starting Saturday and into Sunday afternoon.