Roanoke's Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon earned a spot among the World's 15 Toughest Marathons as ranked by The Weather Channel.

The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon features more than 7,200 feet of elevation change. The uphill portions will test each runner's strength and endurance while the downhill sections are equally challenging.

"It's really hard to say what you'll find, but we guarantee smiling, cheering fans to help you up your last major climb at mile 19," race chair Pete Eshelman told The Weather Channel.

The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon finds itself on the list with marathons such as the Lake Tahoe Marathon, the Great Wall Marathon in China, the North Pole Marathon, and the Pikes Peak Marathon in Colorado.

You can read about the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon and 14 other tough races from The Weather Channel.

The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon is scheduled for April 20, 2013, and registration is open.  

Thanks to your votes, Roanoke earned the most votes in recent Best Mountain Town polling by Blue Ridge Outdoors readers.

The results, which were announced Nov. 1, ranked Roanoke as the top mid-sized mountain town over Asheville, N.C.; Morgantown, W.Va.; and Charlottesville, among others.

Now you need to keep those votes coming in to help other Roanoke Region favorites.

Vote today in the Best of Blue Ridge contest for Best Race Shirt (several Roanoke options), Best State Park (Douthat), Festival with Best Food Options (several options), Best Public Fly Fishing Access (Jackson River), and Best Private Fly Fishing Access (Escatawba Farms). And remember, you can vote daily! The final results will appear in the January edition of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.

If you are interested in helping out, contact Kim Parker at kgparker74@yahoo.com to sign up.