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SOUTH BEND -- On your mark, get set.
Sunburst weekend is here, and it's making quite the impact on the South Bend economy.
Are you ready to get your run on?
The Sunburst marathon kicks off at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, but many got a head start on the weekend celebrations.
From Sunburst, to First Friday and Meet Me on the Island behind Century Center, downtown South Bend was bustling with non-stop activities all evening.
Downtown South Bend was rockin' out.
"It's very nice, the weather is beautiful, it's a lot larger than what we thought," said Kathleen Williams from Springfield, Illinois.
Williams was mentally preparing for her first race in South Bend.
"If it's a nice race, and I'm expecting it to be, then it will be something we can come back to," Williams said.
And Sunburst race directors are happy to see their Midwestern hospitality pay off.
They said it keeps people like Kathleen coming back year after year.
"It's wonderful. We've seen growth every year and every year it's bigger, better and more fun for everyone," said Alan Loyd, the director of the Memorial Health and Lifestyle Center in downtown South Bend.
Loyd has been working with Sunburst for the past five years.
He said the bigger the race, the better the profits.
"It has about a three-quarter-million dollar impact just this one weekend a year," Loyd said.
A big chance for the city to soak in some revenue.
Imagine That, a locally owned toy store, welcomed the Sunburst traffic flow as it bleeds into its store.
"They stop in, and this seems to be the one store they stop in to get toys for kids," said Imagine That's owner Don Willman.
Some came to South Bend for the sights.
"It's usually not this busy. We've come to the Football Hall of Fame before, and there's not a lot of people here, so it's good to see everything," said Marilyn Duval from Niles.
Other out-of-towners planned to explore what the city has to offer.
"It seems like you have a nice zoo here," Williams said.
And a few athletes are keeping their eyes on the ultimate prize that comes with completing the marathon.
"To finish on the 50 yard line of the fighting Irish football field," said marathon runner Kurt Trailer.
And it's not just downtown South Bend that profits from a big weekend like this.
We're seeing people going out to dinner in Mishawaka and staying at hotels in Elkhart.
Sunburst directors said the race is a regional event.
Northwest Indiana benefits from the thousands of people in town.