Press Release - The Edinburgh Marathon - 6/2/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                 Oxfam Joins The Edinburgh Marathon Team

Following last month's record-breaking eighth running of the Edinburgh 
Marathon Festival Oxfam will become the event's principal charity partner 
for the next three years.

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival organisers are delighted that Oxfam, one of 
the world's most renowned charities, has added Scotland's biggest marathon 
to its running events portfolio. 

Antonia Flockhart, the Edinburgh Marathon Festival's partnership manager, 
said:

"As well as being a world class sporting event, the Edinburgh Marathon 
Festival aims to promote community involvement, health and well-being, so 
we see this relationship with Oxfam as a perfect partnership fit for us 
because there is a real affinity between the types of people who 
participate in marathons and Oxfam's core supporters."

A record 16,822 runners took to the streets of the Scottish capital last 
month, participating in the Scottish Half Marathon and the Hairy Haggis 
Team Relay, as well as the Edinburgh Marathon itself.

The two organisations see massive mutual benefits in working together, with 
Oxfam increasing its involvement in running events this year by also 
becoming Virgin London Marathon 2011 Charity of the Year.

The charity, which fights poverty worldwide, aims to have at least 500 
people running for them in this high-profile event, which will now be known 
as The Edinburgh Marathon Festival in association with Oxfam.

Alicia Donaldson, Oxfam's Running Events Manager, said:

"This is an amazing opportunity for Oxfam. To continue our life-changing 
work, like supplying people with safe drinking water or campaigning for 
free education for all, we need people to run for us. Being associated with 
the Edinburgh Marathon is the ideal platform to ask people to support 
Oxfam. It's such a fantastic event and we're going to work  with our new 
partners to make the Edinburgh Marathon Festival in association with Oxfam 
even more special, well-known and respected worldwide." 

To support Oxfam in the Edinburgh Marathon, please go to 
www.oxfam.org.uk/running.

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