WASHINGTON -- The National Marathon is just weeks away and organizers said they are finalizing plans to give this year's race a slightly different feel than last year's.

"The best thing about last year was the fact we ran a very, very safe race. We had 2,200 runners and not an injury in the bunch," said Bob Sweeney of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance.

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For the most part, runners, volunteers and spectators gave the 2006 race rave reviews.

However, some said the runners found the route in certain spots to be somewhat desolate. So, this year organizers said they plan to change the course a bit for the March 24 race.

Organizers said among other changes, the entire race will now be run solely in the District of Columbia. Last year, some of the route veered into Prince George's County.

The race will continue to feature classic monuments views as the course passes through downtown Washington, but planners said they hope to create a stronger sense of community by incorporating more neighborhoods on the route.

Negotiations to send the runners through Adams Morgan and other D.C. business districts are still under way.

"I think that's what they're going to see a lot of this year is more of a community feel come out from the District. I think 36 percent of our runners come out of Virginia, 18 to 20 percent come from the District," said National Marathon Director Keith Dowling.

Race officials said the start and finish lines will still be at RFK Stadium, but a more public area located near the D.C. Armory will now be used for staging rather than the stadium's parking lot 7.

Organizers said 4,200 runners have already registered, surpassing this year's goal of 4,000. They said 2,800 have signed up for the half marathon and 1,400 for the full marathon.

The race also has a new sponsor. Wirefly, a company that began in the District seven years ago and one of the largest online sellers of cell phones, said it views the National Marathon as another growing enterprise.

"Obviously, there is another marathon in town that's a little more established and a little bigger. We think this one, the fact that it's the only run entirely in the District of Columbia, is very important to us," said David Steinberg of Wirefly. "It was important for us to sponsor the hometown marathon."

The marathon course will also run through Anacostia Park, where the Anacostia High school band will entertain runners. Some other new locations added to the course are a route past the new baseball stadium and through Rock Creek Park.