A pair of Odenton residents hope to organize running events in every state in the country, and are starting this fall with the first Maryland Running Festival in Prince George’s County.

Registration opened last week for a half-marathon, 5k run and childrens’ run to be held Oct. 20 near Six Flags America in Landover.

Clay Anderson and Ernesto Calderon, who are neighbors in the Piney Orchard section of Odenton, said the're working to bring 7,500 runners for the half-marathon, with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation named as the chief charitable beneficiary.  

“We really wanted to do something special,” Calderon said. “I thought to myself, ‘What can I do as a father, as a resident of Maryland, to make things better for the next generation?’”

Anderson and Calderon are partners in Siena Productions, a company that organizes racing events. The pair have previously worked together on 185 For Heroes, an event featuring a 185-mile run along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail to benefit wounded soldiers.

Anderson is a Petty Officer First Class in the Navy and a graduate of the American Military University.

Race-day logistics on Oct. 20 will be handled by Charm City Run, which operates five athletic shoe stores in the area and has an event management division.

The half-marathon will start and finish at the gate of the Six Flags America theme park. The 5k and childrens’ “Little Crab Run” are scheduled take place inside the park, where organizers plan a “Crabtown Village” area with vendors and entertainment. Anyone who registers for the half-marathon will get tickets to the park and buffet lunch and will be entered to win one of two Carnival Cruise vacations.

Organizers plan to award two college scholarships to participants in the childrens’ run and have partnered with the President’s Challenge Program to encourage physical fitness.

Entry into the half-marathon is $85, with the 5k costing $30, and the children’s “Little Crab Run” costing $10. Of each entry, $3 will be set aside for programs benefitting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Organizers are also offering discounted entry fees for those who run in groups on behalf of other charities. 

If the event is a success, Anderson and Calderon said they’d like to organize running festivals across the country, under the “Made in America Running Series” banner. They said they have made some early inquiries into holding events in Virginia and Florida.

“Ultimately, if we’re able to, we’d like to have one in every state,” Anderson said.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article misspelled the last name of Ernesto Calderon.