FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inaugural Utah Marathon & Fittest State Festival Announced
for October 13, 2012
Race marks the beginning of an exciting new era in Salt Lake City's
marathon history & a focus on
fitness achievement for all of Utah's citizens
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - March 1, 2012 - Today, Salt Lake City and all of
Utah usher in a new era in its marathon and road racing history.
Dolphin Events, a subsidiary of Dolphin Capital Group, a Utah-based private
equity firm that invests in companies located within the Mountain West
Region, including Ragnar Events, announced it will produce an annual Utah
Marathon and Fittest State Festival, which will take place in its inaugural
year on Saturday, October 13, 2012.
"We are thrilled to financially back this new event in Utah's running
calendar," said Eric Jacobsen, Partner with Dolphin Capital and Chairman of
Ragnar Events. "Utah has a fantastic running community and we hope this
event will encourage Utahan's to become even more active as we strive to
make Utah the 'Fittest State.' "
"Utah is currently the 6th fittest state in the U.S., yet 23% of Utah's
citizens are obese and 58% are overweight," according to Dolphin Events
Founder, Ken Jacquin who cited a recent study by the Trust for America's
Health, a non-profit national health advocacy group as fact-based support
for this new project. "We are going to do something about that," he
continued, "With our track record for and a shared vision of encouraging
healthy lifestyles, sustainable living practices and having fun, together
we will change the lives of our citizens for the better and enhance our
community in the process."
"The Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival is cause for celebration,"
said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. "This
event will not only gives Utah runners a chance to participate in another
top notch marathon, but our hope is that over time the event will also
become a major destination marathon that will provide tremendous economic
impact to our community and State."
"Our goal is to organize a world-class marathon and series of
shorter-distance races that will unite the community, bring national
attention to the region, promote the highest levels of health and fitness
to our citizens and serve as a robust fundraising engine for a wide-range
of local charities," explains CEO and Executive Race Director, Scott Kerr,
a 20+ year veteran of the industry.
The Utah Marathon will give runners a tour of Salt Lake City's most scenic
neighborhoods, its changing cityscape and top sightseeing landmarks that
include the capital, Hogle Zoo, Parley's Trail, Sugar House Park, the 9th &
9th district amongst others that both participants and spectators will find
stunning and lively.
"It is more than just a race to showcase our beautiful capital city; it is
a collaboration of civic-minded businesses and leaders to design the most
exciting and well-organized health and well-being event in the country for
our citizens. Kerr continued.
Several prominent local businesses have already signed on as sponsors
including the Ken Garff Automotive Group. Executive Director for Community
Relations at Ken Garff, Rick Folkerson, said,"The marathon and its
ancillary events are great means for encouraging a lifetime of fitness. We
envision leveraging our community initiatives specifically 'Keys and
Road-to-Success' programs to further educate Utah's children on the
importance of good nutrition and exercise to best fuel their growth and
ensure a healthy, happy and long life."
The Simmons Media Group has been named as the race's official radio partner
for the event. Craig Hanson, President of the Simmons Media Group
commented, "We are proud to be involved with this premier community
sporting event. It is a great honor for our station and entire broadcast
team to be able to provide expert coverage of this marathon and that
listeners throughout Salt Lake City will be able to share in the excitement
and enthusiasm surrounding the event."
To provide a range of activities to increase community participation and
enjoyment, a half-marathon, 5K and kids' 1K program, as well as a bike
tour, are also scheduled.
About the Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival
Entering its first year as one of the Mountain West's premier running
events, the Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival is dedicated to
providing a safe, fun and high-quality event for athletes of all ages and
abilities to promote the benefits of better health and fitness.
Our marathon offers a challenging, scenic course that starts in downtown
Salt Lake City and runs through the newly transformed cityscape of Salt
Lake City and its adjacent historical, charming neighborhoods. Also along
the route are many popular sightseeing landmarks including the University
of Utah, Hogle Zoo, Parley's Trail, Sugar House Park and the 9th & 9th
district. The finish line is at Library Square.
A wide variety of entertainment, including live bands and a series of
community driven cheer stations will be staged along each of the courses.
The race will conclude with an enormous finish line festival and
celebration, "Fit Stock." As you can imagine just by its name, Fit Stock
promises to be the greatest social gathering in the City this coming fall.
Race weekend kicks off Thursday, October 11 with the two-day, Fittest State
Festival Expo to be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The
Festival will feature hundreds of exhibitors sharing the latest in health
and fitness products and informational sessions on how to achieve a more
active lifestyle. The festival is free and open to the public.
For more information, beginning March 15th, 2012 go to www.utahmarathon.com
About Dolphin Events, LLC.
Dolphin Events is a professional race management and production company
whose primary mission is to produce the annual Utah Marathon and 'Fittest
State' Festival. The Company's founders have more than 20 years of race
management experience, including organizing some of the largest running
events in the state of Utah.
About the Dolphin Capital Group
Dolphin Capital Group invests in and/or acquires companies primarily
located within the Mountain West Region with dynamic opportunities to
create value. In the past 5 years, Dolphin Capital Group has invested more
than $30 million in local businesses which currently employs more than 700
people.
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