On December 1st<\/sup>, 2013 Panama City will host its 37th<\/sup> International Marathon. This race is the oldest marathon in Central and South America. A Sportfilm\u2019s movie, \u201cMarathons of the World\u201d, once featured the Panama City International Marathon as one of the 26 top marathons worldwide. Its history dates back to the US military stationed at the Panama Canal.<\/p>\n The Isthmus Road Runners, known today as Corredores del Istmo, was formed in 1976 when the first Transisthmian Relay Race was organized in Panama by the United States Marine Corps. The race started out as a competition between the Marines and the Army stationed in the former Canal Zone and was intended to cover the distance between Colon and Panama City by teams of ten runners covering distances of between 4.8 to 5.7 miles each.<\/p>\n By mid-1977 the group of racers had grown by word of mouth and other organized running groups began to actively participate. Runners met every other Sunday for races ranging from 4 to 15 miles up to a full marathon. In 1979 the first official certificates were given to runners who participated in each race.<\/p>\n The Panama City International Marathon is now organized by Alcaldia de Panama and Club Corredores del Istmo in Panama. Events include a Marathon, a Half Marathon and a Marathon Relay which consists of 8-member teams. The course of the race is certified by AIMS and is also a Boston qualifier. The cost to register is $65 for the 42Km marathon, $45 for the 21Km half marathon and $100 for 8 relay runners in the 42km relay race.<\/p>\n