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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Great tradition plays out again

The Spokesman-Review

In the second year of Bloomsday (1978), about 5,400 people ran the course. This year, there are that many volunteers to tend to the thundering herd of 45,000 participants.

Yes, Bloomsday has been bigger (attendance peaked in 1996), but it’s still huge. It’s as if all the residents of Coeur d’Alene and Hayden decided to dash through Spokane at the same time.

Bloomsday, of course, has an even bigger reach than that. Last year, the race lured 2,000 people from Montana, 800 from Oregon and 668 from Canada, along with 4,700 from Idaho. And a Kenyan or two have been known to participate as well. All of those runners and walkers need a place to sleep and eat, and that means big bucks for the region. A recent study showed the event had a direct economic impact of $9.5 million in 2004.

The race is more than just an economic magnet. It gives Spokane a chance to flaunt its considerable charm and come-hither looks. The event, now in its 28th year, has seduced runners and visitors from all over the world. The race has been featured on ESPN and in numerous runners’ magazines.

But Bloomsday’s biggest payoff is for local residents. It provides the perfect venue for them to emerge from their wintry cocoons and get reacquainted with old friends and to make new ones. The event pulls the community together and gives it rich traditions. With the year-round training, ubiquitous T-shirts, pre-race spaghetti feeds and live television coverage, the fun run is impossible to ignore.

Not that it should be ignored. It’s a lot of fun and has so many entry points of interest.

Which world-class athletes will win among the elite competitors? Who is fastest in a wheelchair? Which corporate cup team will prevail? Can Heart and Sole (Inland Cardiology) outpace Following the Bleeder (Bonner General Hospital)?

Not interested in the competitive aspects? Well, the sheer spectacle of 45,000 people snaking through the city is always compelling. About 30 bands will be playing along the course, and many participants will dress up in outlandish costumes. Watch racers fling their old sweat shirts into the trees, or see them get hosed down by onlookers.

As Cecil Hannan, a 79-year-old participant, said: “Anytime you get with 40,000 people all doing the same thing, that’s special.”

Yes, it is special. And Spokane should be proud that it has endured.