Courtesy of Napa Valley Register

Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers and Don Kardong, who comprised the 1976 U.S. Olympic marathon team, will be special guests at the 2015 Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon.

The 26.2-mile race from Calistoga to Napa, which is now in its 37th year, is on March 1, starting at 7 a.m. Runners head south from the start line at Rosedale Road and the Silverado Trail, to the finish line at Vintage High School. The majority of the race is held on the Silverado Trail.

Shorter won the 1972 Olympic Marathon and took second place in 1976, while Kardong took fourth in ’76. During that era, Shorter won Fukuoka (the then-world championship marathon) four years in a row (1971-74). Rodgers won both Boston and New York four times each. Kardong won Honolulu in 1978.

The Napa Valley Marathon’s expo is on Feb. 27, from 1 to 6 p.m., and Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Napa Valley Marriott & Spa.

Next year’s marathon field will have a capacity of 3,000 runners.

Registration and spectator information is available at NapaValleyMarathon.org or 255-2609.

Sponsors of the NVM include Visit Napa Valley, Napa Running Co., Gatorade, USA Track & Field, ASICS America Corp., Marathon Photo, RRCA, GU, Marathon & Beyond, KPIX Channel 5 and the CW, Napa Valley Marriott, and the Napa Valley Wine Train.