Albuquerque prepares for 40th annual Duke City Marathon this weekend

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After a successful 51st Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the city is gearing up for the 40th annual Duke City Marathon on Sunday.

“We’re the only Boston Marathon qualifier in New Mexico, so we have people that come from all over the world, all over the United States that come in and participate,” said Burt Trembly, Duke City Marathon board member. “They get to check out Albuquerque culture, New Mexico culture.”

The New Mexico Hospitality Association is noticing the spike in tourism.

“We’re seeing those travelers come back to pre-pandemic numbers in most communities,” said Kathy Komoll, NM Hospitality Association CEO. “We are seeing good occupancy rates for the most part across the state.”

Organizers for Sunday’s marathon say the views also make the course one of a kind.

“It begins and ends downtown in Civic Plaza,” Trembly said. “It runs through the bosque, which I think is why it was chosen as one of the top 25 marathons in the world a few years ago by one of the running magazines.”

There are seven races for runners to choose from with the marathon kicking off Sunday at 7 a.m. So far, more than 4,000 people have registered.

“This being our 40th year, what we decided to do for the first time ever was get a commemorative race coin for every single participant regardless of the race that they participate in – every single one gets a beautiful gold-plated coin and it also comes in a velvet case,” Trembly said.

They will have hundreds of volunteers along the course handing out water and Gatorade. Organizers will also have a beer garden at the finish line for runners who want to celebrate a good race.

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