2023 marks 20th anniversary for Eisenhower Marathon

To help celebrate the 20th anniversary, the Fort Riley Color Guard will be in attendance offering the flag, Cathay said. The fort wanted to be a part of it and honor the name of General Eisenhower.

This year the Kiwanis group in Abilene will be hosting their pancake feed in the downtown area instead of separate locations. Cathey said the location change will be easier for the local spectators and runners to attend. 

Last year, Cathey introduced changes to the race’s route. In turn, he said it made the race a lot more town friendly and traveler friendly. Also, it allows for a lot easier spectating for the start and finish lines. One downside was that they had to shut the main road in Old Abilene town. 

Cathey said that they created another level of sponsorship this year just because some of the business wanted to be able to do more and they wanted to recognize that. A full list of the sponsors and advertising packages can be seen here. 

The Eisenhower Marathon is expecting 400 runners with the half marathon being the largest race of the four tiers. There are some specials for 5k and 10k runners as well, in hopes that it will encourage locals to sign up for the races. 

“More and more people are doing half marathons because more people can train easier for it and possibly hit a couple in one weekend,” Cathey said.

Those 400 runners will also be treated to Tossed and Sauced Pizza as well as Hildebrand Chocolate Milk. Additionally, the Kiwanis group in Abilene will be doing their pancake feed in downtown instead of separate locations. Local spectators and runners will be able to enjoy pre or post race breakfast.

Cathey stressed the importance of the race’s pacers as the mobile cheerleaders.

“Whether you are a fast runner, or you take your time, they keep the livelihood of the runners up,” he said. 

The race organizer said that all of their eight running stations will be very well stocked with all sorts of nutrition, water and Gatorade. The people running the stations are made up of local youth groups, church groups, and boy scouts. Each station has their own feel and “hype” as the runners are coming by, Cathey said.

Cathey said that he would love to have more volunteers. They’d like to see more local volunteers and individuals who are willing to hang out at corners they give them and push the runners in the right direction. 

Lastly, he wanted to thank the city of Abilene and Dickinson County workers and the assistance of the Abilene Fire Department, Abilene Police Department, EMS, Dickinson County Sheriff and Kansas State Highway Patrol. 

“Without those large groups keeping everyone safe we wouldn’t be able to continue,” he said.

Cathey said the swag will be new in terms of new apparel that will be given to all the registered runners that signed up to the race. He also said that a custom finishing medal will be given to all finishers.

“One of the extremely positive comments that we get back is that our medals are big league quality comparable to the Boston Marathon and other metropolitan awards,” Cathey said. “We don’t reuse the same medals.”

The Eisenhower Marathon will be at 7 a.m.Saturday, April 29. The race will start in Old Abilene Town and offer 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full-marathon options. It is a Boston Marathon Qualifying Course, with runners from 27 states registered for the, “fast and mostly flat,” race, Cathey said.

For more information about the race or to volunteer, contact Steve Cathey at 785-280-0705 or visit EisenhowerMarathon.net.