HIGH POINT – Preparations are finished, strong turnout is expected and the weather forecast is promising.

That was the message organizers of the 2010 United Healthcare North Carolina Marathon had on Thursday, as runners get set to take their marks for Saturday’s race in High Point.

Race organizers, city officials and sponsors gathered for a press conference at Showplace, the downtown High Point site of the start and finish of the 26.2-mile race, half marathon and a 5K run.

“We’re in our third year and we’re on par probably to get our best turnout yet,” said Creigh Kelly, race emcee and director of BKB Ltd., a Colorado company that offers management, registration and consulting services for running and multi-sport events. “We’re going to have a lot of new faces arriving who are very anxiously awaiting to run their first marathon, half marathon or 5K.”

Melissa Fourrier, director of the race and executive director of Foster Friends of North Carolina, said more than 1,500 runners were signed up as of Thursday, with a final surge of registrations expected today.

“This is a huge event and there are so many moving parts when the gun goes off at 8 a.m. (Saturday),” said Fourrier.

The marathon will raise money for Foster Friends, which works to assist foster children statewide.

“I’m always in awe of the runners and the training and things that they do,” said Garland “Scottie” Scott, CEO of United Healthcare, the event’s title sponsor. “At the end of the day, it’s about the kids of Foster Friends of North Carolina and their mission. We know they do a lot of wonderful things in the community for children.”

Guilford County Department of Social Services Director Robert Williams said the work of organizations like Foster Friends is crucial to his agency.

“When children are taken into foster care, it is a sad day. We try not to do that, and when we do, you can rest assured, it is being done to protect the safety and welfare of that child,” said Williams. “It’s truly a community job. The county cannot do it by itself. The state cannot do it by itself.”

The marathon and half marathon will begin at 8 a.m. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. Officials advise motorists to expect delays and closures at intersections throughout the city through the morning and early afternoon.

pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531