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The North Carolina Marathon in High Point is back on course. That is, back on the same course on which runners competed in March 2010.

The races, moved to the fall in 2011 and scheduled for Nov. 19, will use the same routes as a year ago instead of previously announced changes in which the course would have featured two loops for the 26.2-milers and four trips through one intersection that confounded a few half-marathon runners last March.

"The course is not changing at all," says Melissa Fourrier, the race founder and executive director of Foster Friends of North Carolina, the event beneficiary. "We will not be looping the marathon twice for the full course. It will remain as it was in 2010. That's really good news.

"Three areas of the full were going to be under construction at some point. The city has been able to work out all of those areas to where those areas will definitely be passable. Which means we don't have to go and refigure a course. Which was really good news."

New for the 2011 event will be a focus on non-profit fundraising for the For Kids' Sake 5K.

Non-profits that serve children will be able to recruit runners or walkers for the 5K.

"They will receive a portion of the profits for every runner they sign up that chooses them as a charity of their choice," Fourrier says.

Fourrier hopes with that component for the 5K that registrations could reach 2,800. She says 1,547 runners were registered for the full, half or 5K in 2010.

The decision on the routes means the half and the full courses will continue to have areas that demand runners' attention before and during the race:

For half and full runners: The intersection at East Hartley Drive and Johnson Street. Half runners will go straight through the intersection to a quick turnaround, then they'll go right onto Johnson Street. When marathon runners approach the Hartley-Johnson intersection, they'll turn right onto Johnson.

For half runners: The fork on Montlieu Avenue near O.A. Kirkman Way. This comes after about the first 5.5 miles, and runners will go left onto Kirkman Way on the first time by. Runners will loop and then get back on Montlieu (after a left turn off Hamilton) at the 10-mile mark, and on the second time by they'll continue straight (past Kirkman Way) to pass the 11-mile mark and approach College Drive.

Elsewhere, Fourrier says:

• The event will continue to include sponsorships from UnitedHealthcare and BB&T, among others.

• The Twin City Track Club is expected to handle operations for the races.

• Print literature will be out in May. The event will be promoted through Facebook and Twitter (@ncmarathon11).

• Chuck Engle and Ryan Carroll have been invited back. Engle won the 2010 marathon after Carroll was disqualified when he crossed the 26.2-mile finish line first but had registered for the half.

• Registration for the races is open at www.active.com.

Get more information at the Running Shorts blog, at news-record.com/blog/running_shorts, and at NCMarathon.org.

Contact Eddie Wooten at 373-7093 or eddie.wooten@news-record.com