P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon gave local business and Tempe's image a boost Sunday morning, bringing thousands of runners and spectators to Tempe from all over the country.
"It's a big weekend for us," said Nick Kretsedemas, general manager for Chili's Bar and Grill.
Kretsedemas said both Saturday and Sunday proved to be exceptionally busy days for the restaurant.
"I'm a big fan of the marathon," he said.
Rod Keeling, president of the Downtown Tempe Community, said the day of the marathon was expected to be a busy one for Tempe businesses, especially restaurants.
"It's not the Super Bowl, but it's a good event," he added.
The all-day event surpassed previous Rock 'n' Roll marathons with more than 33,000 walkers and runners showing up at the starting line in downtown Phoenix.
"It was our biggest year yet," said Susan Reid, director of public relations for Elite Racing Inc., which organizes the event.
The marathon and a post-race concert at Tempe Beach Park helped local businesses thrive, Reid said.
"The economic impact is huge," she added.
Kretsedemas said he couldn't estimate exactly how many people visited Chili's because of the marathon, but his restaurant was full of marathoners from out of town.
"You know if you're coming from Chicago, you've got some money to spend," he said.
Road blocks ran along the 26.2-mile marathon and 13.1-mile half-marathon courses, lining streets from downtown Phoenix through Scottsdale and into Tempe. Reid said the closures may pose a problem for some local businesses, but Elite Racing worked closely with all three cities to keep those problems at a minimum.
"We try and open the roads as quickly as we possibly can," she said.
Keeling said an event requiring roadblocks always presents some kind of inconvenience for local businesses.
But the amount of people brought in by the event benefits businesses more than it hurts them, he said.
"It brings more people than would normally be here on a Sunday morning," he added.
Keeling said the marathon is a positive event for the community, giving Tempe national attention and raising money for both local and national charities.
"It gives us some national exposure that we wouldn't normally have," he said.
Reach the reporter at kelsey.perry@asu.edu.
