Another Eugene Marathon is upon us, another chance for running enthusiasts in the area to test their training over a 26.2-mile course that starts and finishes at Hayward Field, and organizers are gearing up for a three-day weekend of activities. Beyond the marathon and half-marathon (13.1 miles), there will be a Health and Wellness Expo at the Graduate Eugene hotel on Friday and the 5th Street Alley Marketplace as well as a meet and greet with author and Boston Marathon champion Des Linden on race day. Vehicle traffic might be full of twists and turns on race day, and LTD announced on its website (LTD.org) that service on neighborhood routes 11, 17, 18, 28 and 98, along with EmX on Franklin Boulevard, will be detoured, and some stops will be missed Sunday between 7 am and 11 am. If you do make it to the race, the best place to salute the runners on Sunday might well be on Agate Street north of the stadium. Hayward Field will be in sight for that final push, so the motivation to finish strong will be there, but fans should line up to cheer as well. And be sure to bring a cowbell. 

The starting gun fires for the Eugene Marathon 7 am Sunday, April 30, at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The finish also is at Hayward Field, and a course map can be found at EugeneMarathon.com. The Health and Wellness Expo is 1 pm to 6 pm Friday, April 28, at the Graduate Eugene, 66 E. 6th Ave., and 10 am to 6 pm Saturday, April 29, at the 5th Street Alley Marketplace. Also on Sunday, Des Linden, author of Choosing to Run: A Memoir, will sign copies at $29 per book inside the Tsunami Books tent at Hayward Field, 11 am to 2 pm. Pre-order for a signed copy at TsunamiBooks.org.