It's easy to smile on a course as beautiful as that in the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run.

Colorado Springs, COLO. - The Triple Crown of the Running and the newly-renovated Ivywild School - a mixed-use, business and community center - have teamed up to offer a weekend of running fun on June 8 and 9 in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs.

On Saturday (June 8), Ivywild School will host the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run and 5K Expo, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Expo is free attend and will offer visitors a chance to tour the Ivywild School.

On Sunday, some 2,000 runners are expected to participate in the 37th Running of the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run beginning at 7 a.m. at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. The 5K starts at 7:15 a.m.

Race info and online registration here.

Runners can pick up their race packets as well as pre-register at the Expo, which will be the first big event at the new community facility located at 1604 S. Cascade.  (Runners can also pick up packets and pre-register at the Colorado Running Company, 833 N. Tejon and 9275 N. Union, Wednesday, June 5, through Friday, June 7.)

The Expo will include vendors, educational programs, a press conference, and a presentation by former race winner Jon Sinclair, now a renowned and highly acclaimed running coach.

Plans call for the Ivywild School to house the Bristol Brewing operations, as well as a bakery, coffee shop and wine bar, a KRCC recording studio, plus plenty of room for art exhibits and other events. Triple Crown of Running Race Director Ron Ilgen said it's the perfect location for a health and fitness/sports Expo.

"Both the race and its runners should be treated and supported as done by other major running events, with a weekend-long celebration," Ilgen said. "It's exciting for us to be involved with the rollout of the new Ivywild School, which we're sure will become a dynamic and popular addition to the community."

Vendors interested in participating in the Expo are encouraged to contact Adam Vernon at ppmsponsorship@gmail.com.

The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with a no-drop Fun Run along the tree-lined streets of south-central

Colorado Springs with the elite runners from the local American Distance Project, some of whom will also race on Sunday.

The remaining schedule looks like this:

10 a.m.: Expo begins with vendors, packet pickup and race registration

11 a.m.: Matt Mayberry of the Pioneer Museum will discuss the history of the race and The Garden of the Gods.

1 p.m.: Press conference with Tom Berg, founder of the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run, as well as the top runners in the race. (The public is invited.)

3 p.m.: Discussion with Jon Sinclair, national champion, and one of the sport's most decorated runners.

The Triple Crown of Running includes the Garden 10 Mile, the Summer Roundup Trail Run (July 8), and the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, Aug. 17-18.

The addition of the Race Expo in 2012 was part of an event makeover initiated by Ilgen. The organization also added the Garden of the Gods 5K and drew national media attention with the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon "Bounty" prize money incentives. Earlier this year, it was announced that Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., the umbrella organization for the Triple Crown, would conduct drug testing at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, making those events the first trail races in the country to test for performance enhancing drugs.

Ilgen considers the Expo's move to Ivywild School to be a key part in the organization's transformation.

"We started the expo with great success last year and plan to make it even better this year," he said.