Decline
The 1990s saw a drop off in the popularity of the marathon as the running boom cooled and Charlotte faced increasing competition from other marathons in bigger cities and vacation destinations. Additionally, the marathon's reputation for having a challenging course dissuaded many runners who were seeking Boston Marathon qualifying times.
In 1995 and 1996 the marathon was host to the USA Mens National Championships, with the 1996 race also serving as the USA Mens Olympic Trials. Although the events were technically separate from the main marathon, they were held on the same day and the same course, with a slightly earlier starting time. The event record was set during the 1996 Olympic Trials race by Robert Kempainen in a time of 2:12:45.
For 1998, facing a continuing slide in entrants, Racefest events were moved from their usual January date to an April date in an attempt to make the races more spectator friendly. However, this raised the ire of many runners who were concerned warmer springtime temperatures would make the marathon even more difficult.
Read more about this topic: Charlotte Observer Marathon
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