FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Louis to Host Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2011
Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon to Join Rock 'n' Roll Series
ST. LOUIS – September 20, 2010 – The Competitor Group (CGI) and FLEET FEET
St. Louis today announced a multi-year licensing agreement for the Lewis &
Clark Marathon and Half Marathon. The event, which will celebrate its
ninth and final running on Sunday, October 3, will be rebranded as part of
the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series in 2011.
"We are very excited that the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is coming to St.
Louis," said Mayor Francis Slay, who joined race officials at a press
conference at City Hall to announce the new event. "St. Louis has always
been a great city for world-class sporting events and we look forward to
welcoming thousands of runners from around the world to our great city next
fall."
Popular for its live entertainment and fanfare at every mile, the Rock 'n'
Roll Marathon Series is held in 17-major markets across the nation
including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle. The Rock 'n' Roll
St. Louis Marathon & ½ Marathon is set for Sunday, October 23, 2011. The
race is expected to draw between 15,000 and 18,000 runners.
"The Midwest region has long been an important part of our strategy for
expanding the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series," said Scott Dickey, President
of CGI. "St. Louis has a national reputation as a great sports town and
combined with its passionate running community, this event is destined to
be a home run."
"This partnership will allow our event to showcase many of our city's
famous attractions, feature local musicians and will provide for continual
growth of our local running community," said David Spetnagel, Owner FLEET
FEET Sports. "We are looking forward to hosting thousands of runners from
across the country so that everyone can see and experience what we already
know, that St. Louis is one of the greatest running cities in the country."
A free two-day "Health and Fitness Expo" will be held Friday and Saturday
to kickoff event weekend. The Expo will be open to the public and feature
the latest health and nutrition information with a variety of products for
sample and sale, as well as a series of interactive fitness clinics. Event
weekend concludes with a post-race concert at the finish line, with all
participants and volunteers receiving free entry. Past acts at other Rock
'n' Roll Marathons include SEAL, INXS, Journey, B-52s, Goo Goo Dolls and
Hootie & the Blowfish.
The 2011 event will utilize a new downtown race course, which is currently
in development. Registration for Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis is open at
www.Competitor.com with the first 500 participants registering for either the
marathon or half-marathon receiving a special entry fee.
"St. Louis is an outstanding destination for a world-class marathon," said
Kathleen Ratcliffe, President of the St. Louis CVC. "With over half of its
runners traveling from outside the market, the Rock 'n' Roll format will
help St. Louis increase its visibility on a national scale and attract
participants from across the U.S."
For more information about Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis, or to register, visit
www.Competitor.com.
About The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
Organized by The Competitor Group, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is
famous for lining race routes with live bands and cheerleaders, massive
participant numbers and rocking post race concerts. The original Rock 'n'
Roll Marathon in 1998 is still recognized as the largest inaugural marathon
in history with 19,979 entrants. Over the 13-year history of the series,
more than 75,000 charity runners have raised more than $233 million for a
variety of worthy causes and nonprofit organizations. Today, the series of
marathons and half-marathons has spread to seventeen cities nationwide. For
more information or to register for an event, please visit www.Competitor.com.
About The Competitor Group
Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI), headquartered in San Diego, CA, is the
leading endurance media and event entertainment company dedicated to
promoting the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. CGI owns and
operates more than 45 national events delivering more than 350,000
professional and amateur participants in 2010. CGI publishes four magazine
titles with a combined monthly circulation of over 800,000 and holds a
captive online endurance community at competitor.com delivering over 1.5
million monthly unique visitors and over 25 million page views. Further
information about Competitor and its media properties can be found at
www.cgimediakit.com.
About FLEET FEET Sports St. Louis
FLEET FEET Sports (www.ffstl.com) opened in St. Louis in 1993. Retail
stores in Chesterfield, Fenton and St. Charles specialize in providing the
runners and walkers of the St. Louis area with shoes, apparel, and
accessories that meet their specific needs. Their training division
coaches over a thousand runners and walkers each year. Their event
management division is involved annually in over seventy-five running and
walking events. They have been named one of the best 50 running stores in
the nation by Competitor Magazine and were awarded the Pinnacle Award at
FLEET FEET Sports' 2010 national franchise conference.
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