Seattle Marathon 2012 preview: Big race on Sunday

The Seattle Marathon takes place on Sunday in downtown Seattle and roughly 17,000 participants are expected to take part in the marathon, half marathon, and two walking events.

The race begins on 5th Avenue, between Harrison and Mercer Streets and the marathon finishes in Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center. The first Seattle Marathon was run in 1970 with just 38 runners. The race has grown significantly since then and is now the largest in the Northwest and one of the 10 largest in the United States and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Last year Jesse Williams won the men's division with an official time of 2:29:54. Trisha Steidl had the top female time, finishing in 3:03:41.

The Seattle Marathon offered a 20% discount to all runners who had registered for the 2012 NYC Marathon, which was cancelled after Hurricane Sandy.

A 5K race and kids marathon will be held on Saturday.