Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 03:16 PM

Survival of the fittest in race promotions...

Putting on a marathon for the first time is always a challenge. Throw in not one, but two hurricanes and you’ll find a city and a race — The Marathon of the Palm Beaches November 14 in West Palm — that has already exceeded expectations before any of the projected 3,100 runners ever touch the starting line, much less the finish.

"It’s funny, the entries slowed down a bit during the hurricanes, but just afterwards they came piling in like we expected," says Dennis Grady, president of the West Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce. "I think it’s a tribute to two things. First, the venue is excellent and second, the sport has grown so much that people are attracted to a flat, fast course that’s a Boston qualifier.

"As for the people in Palm Beach and northward onto the Treasure Coast, our first concern was for their safety. Now that they’ve survived [the hurricanes], I think everybody’s just coming down here ready for a good race."

And a good race they should get. The running community has stepped up, according to Grady — and has been helpful. While trees, light fixtures and various items were blown about the area like autumn leaves, the course itself needed no altering and suffered no major damages. "There was a little debris out on the course here and there, but the city took care of that right off the bat," says Grady.

The course begins off the water on Flagler Drive. It will dip the runners out of West Palm into Lake Worth before bringing them back north into Riviera Beach and then back to the Amphitheatre area in West Palm. Many of the miles will give the runners a great view of the shore, the skyline and scenic areas of Palm Beach County. Starting time is 6 a.m.

And though November in Florida doesn’t guarantee cooler temperatures, what race does? Remember Boston seven months ago? Runners faced temperatures up to 85 degrees. Miami in February saw temperatures climb into the high 70s with high humidity and rain. Chicago, Marine Corp and New York, also, can be crapshoots.

"On record, November is generally the coolest month in Florida," says Grady. "I think the out- of-state people will just be glad they’re not running in sleet and snow and will look forward to getting down here."

Many will show up eager for a PR.

The locals, though, are to be commended for training through horrible conditions and circumstances.

"Our runners have had a lot to deal with," says Bob Anderson, one of the coaches for the Palm Beach Marathon Training group. "Between not having power, having to take time off and [then dealing with] sore muscles once they started back up, there were some tough times. We lost some runners out of our group for various reasons, but I only had one that just outright e-mailed me and said they wouldn’t be able to do it."

While the weather may have hurt some, many stated that they used the down time for needed rest and came back even hungrier.

Regardless, the hurricanes are hopefully behind us and the show will go on. And with it, the usual pre-race advice: Bring your sunscreen. Stay hydrated. Taper (in the last two weeks, rest equals training). Pack smart. And don’t go out too fast.

So get ready to run on not only a fun course, but also a scenic one. Get ready for a flat, fast course — and a well-groomed one as well. And finally, get ready for a race that — despite being in its inaugural season — is already considered a marathon that has survived. From the Sunshine State, we’ll see you at the starting line. FS