This year's Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon was the biggest and best yet.

The race, which is managed by the Roanoke Regional Partnership, included more than 1,600 participants, appearances by three running legends, and was featured by a host of national media.

Downtown Roanoke was flooded with spectators who came out for a day of activities starting with the race and flowing into the Down by Downtown music festival, an arts festival, and plenty of food and drink.

"Once you've accomplished becoming a marathoner, this race should be your next bucket list race. It's postcard perfect, and any finisher can claim to have run America's Toughest Road Marathon. There's no shame in walking this one!"  said P.W. on Marathonguide.com.

The fourth annual Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon saw a spike in participation up 76.9 percent over 2012, with 1,684 runners participating in America's Toughest Road Marathon.

Here's the 2013 breakdown by runner group:

• Full marathon: 532
• Team relay: 240
• Half marathon: 913

And it's a race that runners from all over the world want to run. This year, runners hailed from five countries (United States, Canada, England, Germany, and Ethiopia) and 38 states.

 

Read about the legends who visited, media coverage, and what runners said about the race >>>