LAVALE — Less than a week after the Boston Marathon in April, someone got the bright idea to hold a 26.2-mile running event in Allegany County.

Since then, the Mountain Maryland Marathon presented by Life Fitness Management has gone from an idea on an online message board to a new destination event that will expand the local tourism season and help direct runners of all ages and abilities toward a healthier way of life.

Stakeholders gathered on Thursday at Life Fitness Management on National Highway in LaVale to formally kick off the event, scheduled for April 19, 2009 — the day before the Boston Marathon. The Mountain Maryland Marathon, half-marathon, 5K and kids marathon all are to benefit the United Way of the Potomac Highlands, which serves Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland and Mineral and Hampshire counties in West Virginia.

People already are coming up and asking “‘when is the race,’” said Maureen Hall, president of the Mountain Maryland Mara-thon Club. “I think it’s going to be a good event.”

Greg Dull, co-owner of the 6-month-old Life Fitness Management and a certified personal trainer, said investing in the marathon and related events is a perfect match.

“We wanted to promote health outside these four walls,” Dull said. “This is exactly what we dreamed. We couldn’t have dreamed for more at the start of something.”

Dave Williams of McClarran & Williams, the marketing firm that contracts with the Allegany County Tourism Department, said the events are a great way to tout the “go-getter attitude” of Mountain Maryland.

Allegany County, he said, “is not a place people go to watch things, it’s a place where people go to do things.”

Mary Beth Pirolozzi, executive director of the United Way, said “timing is everything” in regard to the marathon planning and the United Way of America’s recent change in focus to a 10-year initiative to improve communities’ education, in-come and health.

“This ties perfectly into what the goals are,” Pirolozzi said. “It’s a great day for the United Way.”

All of the events start and finish at Canal Place Heritage Area in downtown Cumberland. The planned marathon route heads toward the Narrows and up National Highway — up, literally, as runners will see nearly 1,900 feet in net elevation to Frostburg.

Once in the Mountain City, runners will turn right onto Depot Street, and complete the series of switchbacks before entering the Great Allegheny Passage. Runners will enjoy the final 15-plus miles downhill at an average 3 percent grade on crushed limestone and return to Canal Place.

The half-marathon begins in the same manner as the 26.2-mile event but turns around at a point along National Highway near Campground Road. The route returns east along National Highway — also known as The National Road — before turning left onto Long Drive/Cash Valley Road. After nearly two miles of rolling hills, runners will turn right onto the Great Allegheny Passage and return to Cumberland along the same trail as the marathons.

While each of the running events benefit the local United Way, Williams pointed out the 5K is unique because 100 percent of runners’ entry fees for the event go directly to the nonprofit organization.

The kids marathon, too, is different from standard running events, organizers said. Registered runners ages 13 and younger will receive a training log in the mail before the end of the year. From Jan. 1 through April 18, kids marathoners will be required to run 25 miles — either at local races or on their own and track them in their race log. On April 19, those runners will complete the final 1.2 miles and cross the same finish line as the full marathoners.

Williams said the event couldn’t happen without contributions from each of those in attendance, which included state Sen. George Edwards and representatives of Allegany County, Allegany College of Maryland, County United Way, the Mountain Amateur Radio Club, the Cumberland YMCA and regional media outlets, among others. Volunteers and sponsors are currently being sought by event organizers.

Entry forms and more information can be obtained online at www.mountainMDmarathon.org, by e-mail at run@mountainMDmarathon.org or by calling (240) 522-0276.