 The annual Blue Ox Marathon Weekend kicked off at the Sanford Center today in Bemidji and organizers say they're expecting a big turnout this weekend. The Blue Ox is a non-profit that supports being active. This year there are about 1,300 registered runners today, started with the kids races and then there was also a 5K and a 10K run walk later in the evening. The marathon is in its sixth year and has become a cherished community event. Of those years, the thing that's grown the most is the community connections and the community support of the event. And that doesn't even necessarily mean sponsors and partners, it means volunteers, it means things that happen around the community because the event is going on this weekend that aren't even connected with us, kind of tradition that starts to happen. Marathon will start at 9 in the morning tomorrow. We'll have coverage of the winners in sports next week on Monday. And then also a story on the event as a whole in our community spotlight on Monday. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.