FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OC Marathon On Pace For Record Entries; Introduces "OC Tastefest"
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Entries for the 2012 OC Marathon, one of the
premier destination races in Southern California, are 30 percent ahead of
last year and expected to top the record 15,000 runners in 2011. Among the
reasons for the growth spurt are the popularity of the "Beach Cities
Challenge", the "Kids Run the OC presented by Nutrilite®" and the all-new
"OC Tastefest." The OC Marathon is considered as one of the best full and
half marathon courses in the state due to its diverse terrain, changing
vistas and majestic ocean views. It traverses Newport Beach, Costa Mesa,
Irvine and Santa Ana and boasts a blend of chic coastal scenery, tranquil
nature and sophisticated arts and shopping. Detailed information is
available at www.ocmarathon.com.
Helping fuel the surge in entries is the high interest among runners in the
"California Beach Cities Challenge" racing series, a unique alliance among
the Surf City USA Marathon, the Long Beach International City Bank
Marathon, and the OC Marathon-all of which utilize a portion of Pacific
Coast Highway. Runners who participate in all events in the series
(consecutively) are rewarded with a large medal in the shape of a surfboard
depicting the symbols of each race they have completed in the series. The
Beach Cities Challenge debuted with the 2011 OC Marathon, providing a
compelling reason for So Cal runners to stay within Southern California and
have a great experience during a difficult recession.
Also continuing its impressive growth is the OC Marathon's "Kids Run the
OC," which will host a record number of schools and kids on Saturday, May
5. Held at the OC Fair and Event Center, the program is designed to help
pre-adolescent kids become more physically fit, promote an active and
healthy lifestyle and combat the onset of childhood obesity. A record
number of 70 schools are participating this year along with nearly 4,000
kids (up from 3000 last year). Students are led through a training program
by teachers and/or volunteers, accumulate the equivalent of 25.2 miles and
finish their own marathon by completing the final mile on Saturday.
Programs include St.
Mary's in Aliso Viejo, Greenville Fundamental School, Santa Ana Unified and
St. John's Lutheran School in Orange.
An exciting and highly anticipated new addition to the OC Marathon in 2012
is the inaugural "OC Tastefest", which features culinary delights from
restaurants throughout Orange County. This event will showcase the
diversity of global cuisine from dozens of our favorite OC restaurants in
the "Heart of OC," at the OC Fair and Event Center. The two-day food and
wine festival will be held concurrent with the OC Marathon weekend and
Cinco de Mayo, and will feature continuous live music on the "Tastefest
Stage" located in the newly renovated Main Mall at the OC Fair and Event
Center in Costa Mesa. Details are available at www.octastefest.com.
Each year since 2008 the OC Marathon has made changes to the course based
on runner feedback, and this year is no different. The 2012 finish line
now has all events coming in via the Main Gate of the OC Fair & Event
Center providing for a much improved Finish Festival. Additionally,
marathoners will come off the river trail earlier and run around Mesa Verde
Country Club and through more neighborhoods in Costa Mesa providing them
with that much needed support during those final miles.
"It's very exciting to see the OC Marathon continue to grow and evolve,"
said Gary Kutscher, event director. "Our Kids Run the OC is poised to host
a record number of schools and kids and the Beach Cities Challenge is
proving to be very popular. The pairing of the OC Marathon and the OC
Tastefest adds even more excitement to an already action packed weekend by
highlighting the energy and diversity of Orange County's amazing food
scene."
The Eighth Annual OC Marathon will be held on Sunday, May 6, 2012. More
than 17,000 runners will participate in the marathon, half marathon, OC
Wahoo's 5K and "Kids Run the OC presented by Nutrilite®." Additionally,
thousands of spectators line the course and the start line in front of the
Newport Beach Marriott and finish line at OC Fair and Event Center. Tens
of thousands attend the two-day Allergan Health & Fitness Expo which
showcases national brands and state of the art footwear and training
technology. The OC Marathon is USATF certified and can be used as a
qualifier for any marathon in the U.S. including Boston, further adding to
its allure. More information is available at www.ocmarathon.com.
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