Cellcom Green Bay Marathon sets limit at 10,000 runners

The field for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and Half Marathon will be capped at 10,000 runners, an increase of 2,000 from the record turnout in 2011, race officials announced Wednesday.

The split will be 3,000 in the marathon and 7,000 in the half marathon.

In 2011, both races reached their capacity in February and thousands of runners already have gotten a start on 2012. As of Wednesday, the marathon was at 42% capacity, half marathon 51% and marathon relay 27%.

Because of construction on Lambeau Field, the course lay-out changed for 2012, and the lap inside the stadium has been eliminated. That actually allowed race officials to expand the capacity of the marathon and half marathon.

"We're excited that the 2012 course layout will allow us to accommodate more runners in our premier events," said Sean Ryan, race directorr of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. "It's a great opportunity for those who may have missed out in previous years with the early sellouts."

The Cellcom 5K run and the WPS Kids Power Run will open the marathon weekend on Saturday, May 19. The marathon, half-marathon and relay follow on Sunday, May 20.