FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Corporate Sponsorship Support Increases for
13th Annual Go! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend
PNC Bank and Cigna Named Year-Round Sponsors of GO! St. Louis
Express Scripts, Mercy, Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield, McCarthy and
KMOX Radio Sign-on as Major Sponsors
ST. LOUIS (MO) – January 18, 2013 – GO! St. Louis, a local non-profit
organization that specializes in providing fitness events and programs for
the St. Louis region on a year-round basis, announced today that sponsor
partnerships for the popular GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness
Weekend, set for April 6 & 7 have increased this year. Returning major
sponsors include PNC Bank, Express Scripts, McCarthy Building Companies and
KMOX Radio, while Cigna, Mercy and Anthem Blue Cross – Blue Shield are new
partners for 2013.
"We are grateful for the tremendous support we continue to receive from
sponsor partners, which is vital to our efforts to provide quality events
and programs for our region," said Nancy Lieberman, GO! St. Louis
president. "The new partnerships formed, along with long-standing support
from returning sponsors remain strong because our organization's commitment
to inspiring people of all ages and fitness abilities to achieve, which
really resonates with companies that are committed to the community
wellness mission," she continued.
PNC Bank, presenting sponsor of the Half Marathon for the last seven years
has expanded its commitment to include year-round sponsorship of additional
GO! St. Louis' events, such as the All-American 5K and Halloween 10K. PNC
Bank is also a partner in the program - GO! Get Fit St. Louis, which
challenges area companies to get their employees involved in the Marathon
Weekend races.
"PNC Bank is an advocate for healthy lifestyles, and the GO! St. Louis
Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend is a fun way to join family, friends and
neighbors in our hometown races," said Rick Sems, PNC regional president
for St. Louis. "PNC is excited to broaden this year's support for
year-round activities and set the pace for an expanded partnership with GO!
St. Louis."
Cigna is a new year-round sponsor for 2013, concentrating its efforts on
improving community health and fitness through training plans, fitness tips
and a variety of health-related promotions. Among the partnership details
is a web-based campaign, GO! Get Fit on gostlouis.org that will serve as a
resource for individuals looking to increase their fitness levels.
"Cigna is excited to be a year-round sponsor and partner in this effort to
promote a healthy community. We are looking forward to helping individuals
and families in the St. Louis region to adopt a healthy and active
lifestyle," said Ronnie Priefer, Health Services Director, Cigna
HealthCare.
Mercy is the new presenting sponsor of the Marathon and 5K events, combined
with a comprehensive marketing and branding campaign that is strong on
participant engagement.
Express Scripts returns as a presenting sponsor of the GO! St. Louis Read,
Right & Run Marathon® which encourages students to Read 26 books, Right the
community with 26 good deeds and Run 26.2 miles over six months. More than
22,000 students will be participating in the program this year, which is in
its 11th year. Express Scripts investment in this award-winning program
illustrates their commitment to improving the lives of youth throughout the
St. Louis region.
Anthem Blue Cross – Blue Shield is this years' presenting sponsor of the
Students on the GO! program, which inspires local high school students to
run or walk the April Half Marathon. Nine area schools are participating .
Students earn running shoes, jackets and other apparel as they progress in
the program, which kicks off in late January.
KMOX Radio and McCarthy Building Companies, both long-time major supporters
of the event return this year. KMOX is the Official Radio Partner, while
McCarthy is the presenting sponsor of the volunteer crew and manages the
event site construction.
The complete list of 2013 sponsors include: PNC Bank, Express Scripts,
Cigna, Mercy, McCarthy Building Companies, KMOX Radio, Lockton Companies,
Anthem Blue Cross – Blue Shield, Missouri Beef Industry Council, Big River
Running Company, Michelob ULTRA, Drury Hotels, Missouri Lottery, Staenberg
Family Foundation, Yurbuds, Emerson, KSDK-TV News Channel 5, Dole, KPMG,
Edward Jones, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ALIVE Magazine, Pasta House Company,
Brighton Agency, Absopure, ESCO, St. Louis Injury & Rehab and Gatorade
Endurance. Visit http://www.gostlouis.org/support/sponsors.html for
additional sponsor information.
The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend was created for all ages and
fitness abilities and features a marathon , half marathon, marathon relay,
5K Run/Walk, GO! St. Louis Read, Right and Run Marathon®, Children's Fun
Runs and a Mature Mile. The event started in 2000 and should attract more
than 25,000 participants this year.
Mission
GO! St. Louis, a local non-profit organization, encourages individuals and
families in the St. Louis region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle
year round. The organization accomplishes this through community
collaborations, school based programming and the creation of new and unique
fitness events.
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