Tough economic conditions seem not to have affected the SunTrust Richmond Marathon. Race officials say record participation is possible in the 26.2-mile marathon and the 13.1-mile McDonald’s Half Marathon despite a nationwide recession that has chilled sports from NASCAR to high school. The existing records: 5,109 for the marathon, set in 2007; 4,616 for the half marathon, set last year.

Eight-year-old Peter Staropoli will join local cyclists in a 17-mile bike ride tonight. He is well-aware he may not get to the finish line, but for the Richmond boy this ride is a significant accomplishment. Peter, an energetic child with a profound curiosity for weapons and the U.S. military, was diagnosed with a rare heart defect when he was 8 months old. Since then, he has had five surgeries and six cardiac catheterizations.

Need some incentive to take a summer bike ride? Look no further than the Anthem Moonlight Ride coming up Aug. 8. A first-time event organized by the Richmond Sports Backers, the nighttime bike ride is designed to draw everyone from experienced cyclists to those who will have to dust off their seats and pump up their tires to participate.

When: Aug. 8 at 8 p.m.
  At: The ride starts and ends at Sports Backers Stadium, 100 Avenue of Champions off the Boulevard near The Diamond.
  Cost: Through tomorrow, registration is $25 for adults and $10 for youths ages 8-14. From Tuesday to Aug. 6, it’s $30 for adults and $10 for youths. Walk-up registration on Aug. 8 is $35 for adults and $15 for youths.

Kristin Carpenter, volleyball standout at Hanover High, and Ben DeJarnette, cross country and track star for Atlee, win top Times-Dispatch/Sports Backers honors and $7,500 scholarships.

Kristin Carpenter of Hanover High School and Ben DeJarnette of Atlee High School are the 2009 Times-Dispatch/Sports Backers Scholar-Athletes of the Year. They were chosen from 10 girls and 10 boys finalists and will receive $7,500 scholarships. Carpenter was a volleyball standout. DeJarnette starred in cross country and distance races in indoor and outdoor track.

You have only a few days left to sign up and save $5 on Saturday’s Anthem Stride Through Time 10K. Online registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children 14 and younger, and ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. After that, you’ll pay $30 for adults and $20 for children. Part of the proceeds go to The History Fund, which benefits the Valentine Richmond History Center and the Historic Richmond Foundation.

Downtown Richmond is teeming with a history that can serve as a microcosm for America’s own past.  It’s a history that ranges from before the Revolutionary War to the roots of the civil-rights movement in Jackson Ward to the more recent slavery reconciliation.  It’s all there, as well as everything in between, in a 6.2-mile loop that during rush hour becomes easily unnoticed.

WEEK’S END The most important piece of information in yesterday’s front-page headline, “2 in Va. Had Swine Flu,“ might be the tense.  The campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination has grown testy. References to Global Crossing clearly get under Terry McAuliffe’s skin. Expect more. “Tra la! It’s May! The lusty month of May,“ sings Guenevere in “Camelot.“ May also means the The Valentine Richmond History Center has begun accepting nominations for Richmond’s History Makers. The recognition goes to individuals or organizations who have made a mark. A nominee’s name does not have to be William Byrd to win. Contact http://www.richmondhistorymakers.com for details.

The Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers will announce today that for the second time in four years, it has been named the member of the year by the National Association of Sports Commissions. In 2006, the national group also honored the Richmond organization, which puts on the Monument Avenue 10K and other events. “The Sports Backers distinguished themselves by their ability to bring so many tangible benefits to the Richmond community,“ Sports Products International President Hill Carrow said. “It is amazing to see what the organization has accomplished through an impressively focused and efficient operation.“

The Sports Backers, an organization founded in 1991 to build a more vibrant Richmond community through sports, yesterday endorsed the concept of a Shockoe Bottom ballpark.

Richmond is keeping its popular spot on the national off-road triathlon circuit for at least one more year, but there will be a new group overseeing the local event. The XTERRA circuit’s founders are looking for sponsors for the 2009 event after being unable to reach a new operating agreement with the Richmond Sports Backers, the event’s local organizer since it first came to the city in 1999.