JOPLIN, MO.--- When Cathy Bartlett isn't selling athletic shoes, she enjoys running. She hopes the 2013 Mother Road Marathon can be even better than in the past.
"I went out to watch the race last year, they finished and I had tears in my eyes every time someone ran through, because they're doing such an amazing thing," says Cathy Bartlett, Joplin Runner.
Bartlett ran the very first year, and now race organizers are hoping to sign up even more people like her. In 2012, Mother Road Marathon organizers didn't get the turnout they had hoped for, so they decided it was time make some changes.
"Those nuances that runners want is what we need to find, so one of my goals is to hire a race director that will basically put the event on the road," says Patrick Tuttle, Joplin CVB Director.
They also plan to reach out to people through social media and hope to add entertainment along the race route. The director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau hopes these changes will attract more runners to next year's race.
"What council directed me to do, was to work with Parks and Recreations Department as well as Joplin Sports Authority, and see what we can do in the areas of corporate sponsorship to help cut the need of city money for the event. So, if we could find someone to become a water sponsor and provide all the water for the event, that takes off the bill," says Tuttle.
Next year's Mother Road Marathon will be on October 13th.
