FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Competitor Group Announces Acquisition of Denver Marathon
Partnership includes Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, Increases CGI's
Portfolio to 25 National Events
San Diego, CA – January 12, 2009 – The Competitor Group (CGI), the leading
media and event company in the endurance sports industry, today announced
the acquisition of the Denver Marathon and Rocky Mountain Half Marathon,
bringing its portfolio of national events to 25 with over 250,000
participants.
"Adding the Denver Marathon and Rocky Mountain Half to the Competitor
Group's event portfolio was an ideal situation allowing the current
leadership to remain involved," said Peter Englehart, CEO of CGI. "The deal
represents an enormous opportunity for expansion. We are excited to work
with the Denver community and the thousands of runners who have come to
expect us to deliver the best race experience possible."
The largest Marathon in the state of Colorado, the Denver Marathon is known
as the premier distance running event in the Rocky Mountain Region, which
includes the marathon, a half-marathon, the ING Marathon Relay and the
Denver Marathon Kids Mile. The 2009 race is set for Sunday, October 19th.
The Fifth Annual Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, featuring the McDonald's
Women's 8K, is scheduled for Sunday, June 14th, 2009.
The deal includes the retention of Executive Director Anton Villatoro and
enables each race to leverage CGI's marketing expertise. The events will
focus on providing an enhanced, more comprehensive experience for runners
as well as tremendous opportunities for national sponsors to expand their
reach to new audiences.
"Since launching the Denver marathon in 2006, we have always focused on the
quality of the event and doing things the right way," said Anton Villatoro,
who will join CGI as a Vice-President and General Manager. "The race is in
the best shape it's ever been and as I looked for opportunities to continue
its growth, I wanted to align the event with one of the nations leading
event marketing and management companies. The Competitor Group was the
right fit at the right time."
With the addition of these two events, CGI's event platform will be
increased to 25 national events including 12 marquee running events and 13
Muddy Buddy Ride & Run events in 2009. In addition to the acquisition of
Denver, CGI recently acquired events in Seattle, Chicago and Las Vegas. In
2009, marquee running events will also take place in the following markets:
Phoenix, Nashville, San Diego, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, San Jose and
San Antonio.
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