There’s a reason planning committee members announced the Cummins Marathon more than a year in advance.

It’s a lot of work to put together an event that will serve as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

It’s so much work, in fact, that committee member Randy Stafford expects he and his colleagues will need every bit of the 14 months.

“The work done so far is planning just to identify our resources,” he said. “We have a preliminary route picked out, but there’s still a lot to do from start to finish.”

Stafford, a running enthusiast and Cummins employee, who has coordinated the Mill Race Race for 16 years, is helping bring a marathon, half-marathon and 5-kilometer walk to Columbus that could attract thousands of participants from around the country and perhaps the world.

The committee already has hired an event planner, Ken Long of Ken Long and Associates, who is experienced in organizing marathons, Stafford said.

An event planner is a must, not only because of his expertise but because of the contacts he brings that guarantee the event solid exposure in publications to a wide audience.

Long plans 20-25 events a year and has been in the business for 33 years.

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