GILLETTE STADIUM IS FOLLOWING FENWAY PARK AND HOSTING ITS OWN MARATHON

BOSTON.COM

Runners will do more than 100 laps around the Patriots' home turf.

It may just be a matter of time until marathoners are running circles around the TD Garden hardwood.

After Fenway Park hosted its inaugural inside-the-park marathon last September, Gillette Stadium announced Friday that it too is getting into the long-distance running game.

The home of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution will hold a 26.2-mile race inside the stadium on September 28 to raise money for homeless shelters throughout the region.

Unlike other races that start or finish inside sports venues, the Gillette Stadium marathon, like the one in Fenway, consists entirely of laps inside the stadium. According to organizers, runners will circle the warning track that surrounds the turf more than 100 times.

The dizzying course has been certified by USA Track & Field and is the only Boston Marathon qualifier run entirely in an NFL stadium. Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray’s event management company, DSME Sports, is also providing support for the race.

The event will also include live entertainment, including music and appearances by Patriots alumni and cheerleaders, and spectators will be able to take in the race from a designated hospitality space in the south end zone.

The Friday evening race, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., will be limited to 100 participants, each of whom must raise a minimum of $5,000 for the New England Patriots Foundation, which will distribute the funds to homeless shelters across New England. Runners can apply online on the Gillette Stadium website and will be selected on a “rolling basis.”

The Patriots will take the field two days later to face the Miami Dolphins.