Now in its 7th year, the Grand Island Trail Marathon continues to attract runners from a wide geographical range.  This summer the event will welcome runners from 38 states and three foreign countries.  Unlike large city marathons, the Grand Island Trail Marathon must limit its participants for environmental and logistical reasons, so attracting runners from 38 states makes for a highly diverse field, considering only 300 runners will run the marathon and 200 runners will participate in the half marathon.  The top ten states represented in both races include Michigan (317), Illinois (78), Wisconsin (73), Ohio (31), Minnesota (16), Colorado (13), California (10), Maryland (8), Indiana (6), and Pennsylvania (6).  Other states represented include Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Maine, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.  Countries represented include Canada, Grand Cayman, and Singapore.  Runners report that they choose Grand Island because of its natural beauty and the allure of running on a wilderness island in Lake Superior.  The event was named one of the Top New Marathons in North America Introduced Since 2003 by Runner’s World.