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Ready, set, run!

Missoula will become a running Mecca this weekend, as thousands of local runners and speedy folks from out-of-state converge on the Garden City for the fifth annual Missoula Marathon.

The 26.2-mile marathon and 13.1-mile half-marathon take place Sunday, and registration numbers are on par with last year, said race director Anders Brooker. Organizers are planning for about 4,000 participants.

Registration for the Kids' Marathon on Saturday, a distance of 1.2 miles, is way up over last year, with more than 500 youngsters lacing up their running shoes.

Already, more than 60 runners who've participated in all previous Missoula marathons have registered for the 2011 race.

As the Missoula Marathon grows, organizers work to keep as many roads open as possible along the route on the day of the race. Brooker doesn't want to inconvenience Missoulians. Rather, he encourages runners and non-runners alike to get involved in the many activities planned for the weekend.

"We're always working to get more fans out there," he said. "It's early, but the fastest half-marathon runners will finish around 7 a.m., so we encourage people to get out there, cook some breakfast, have some mimosas and cheer on the runners."

The half-marathon and marathon races both begin at 6 a.m.

The marathon starts in Frenchtown. Runners hit the blacktop along Mullan Road, wind their way through Big Flat, cross Maclay Bridge, run through Orchard Homes into the heart of the city, around Bonner Park and eventually end on the north side of the Higgins Avenue Bridge.

The half-marathon begins southwest of town on Blue Mountain Road and connects with the marathon race route in the Big Flat area.

The festivities begin Friday evening with the Missoula Marathon's inaugural beer run from the Badlander Bar at 6 p.m. Runners start at the bar and run a pre-determined 3-mile, 4-mile or 5-mile route. The Badlander will offer specials on local microbrews.

Saturday's traditional Missoula Marathon race expo has gotten bigger and better this year, with the addition of a downtown festival in Caras Park. All runners must attend the expo to pick up their race packets, but now the rest of the Missoula community is invited, too, to enjoy local musicians, food vendors and the Kids' Marathon starting at 10 a.m.

"We're trying to add more and more events to the weekend," Brooker said. "With the festival, we want anyone who wants to come down and have a beer and enjoy live music to take part in the weekend."

Runners will notice new mile markers on the course this year. Instead of the uniquely designed plaster leg statues designed by Montana artists, 8-foot-tall teardrop signs on the right side of the road will mark the course. As the race increased in size, organizers had to rely on larger signs to mark the route, Brooker said. The leg statues will be used in other capacities during the race, he said.

Also, the entire course this year will be lined with cones, which improves runners' safety and adds a more consistent, professional feel, he said.

Race organizers are also taking steps toward making the event more environmentally friendly. Each aid station will contain a high-speed filling system for runners with plastic water containers. Instead of grabbing plastic cups, runners can now refill their own water bottles.

Brooker doesn't expect the filler system to be wildly popular the first year, but he hopes that more runners will take up the practice.