Paul Werner left chilly Northville, Mich. behind this week to check out Miami-Dade for the first time. Sunday, he’ll see 13.1 miles of it on foot during the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon.

Calling the five-day trip “our little midwinter half-marathon and getaway,” the triathlete he said location played a big part in his reason for running this race.

“A whole lot better than Michigan,” he said.

Of the record 25,000 participant in the 10th year of the event, nearly 70 percent are from out of town, according to organizers. A study released recently said the race generates more than $45 million for the local economy through hotel stays, meals, transportation, shopping and other spending.

The event starts in downtown Miami and winds through South Beach, with those running the full 26.2 miles also heading through Coconut Grove and onto the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Last year, a total of 21,147 registered runners hailed from all 50 states and 79 countries. That day’s clear, cool weather likely prompted repeats, said Dave Scott, general manager and race director for US Road Sports & Entertainment of Florida, which produces events including ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon.

“The city was alive the whole weekend and the runners enjoyed themselves and they saw South Florida as we get to live it,” he said. “I feel like the runners left and said, ‘I’m going back to Miami.’”

Organizers also promoted the event at races in Brazil and Canada and advertised in publications geared to runners. While travel agency NTS Sports Travel negotiated rates for participants at 26 area hotels, even those not on the list are reaching out to racers.

Four Seasons Hotel Miami on Brickell offered a “Stay, Run, Eat” package for $325 a night with pre-race snacks and a discounted post-run brunch.

And the Fontainebleau Miami Beach for the third year will give runners discounts on massages and a fixed-price “carb-up” meal at its Italian restaurant.

“It’s becoming in the eyes of tourism marketing just as important as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the boat show,” said Fontainebleau spokeswoman Mabel De Beunza. “It’s become almost like a citywide promotion now that it’s up to the 25,000 person mark.”

Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO William D. Talbert III said the race adds another big (and constantly growing) event to the destination’s offerings.

For Charlotte, N.C.- resident Amheric Hall, 47, Miami is one more stop on a marathon travel circuit that last year also included New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

“You guys know how to do it right,” Hall said Friday. “You really make us feel appreciated. You really bring the hype.”

Miami Herald staff writer Susan Miller Degnan and photographer Joe Rimkus Jr. contributed to this report.