FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Boe
(801)484-8971
DATE ANNOUNCED FOR SALT LAKE CITY
MARATHON & 5K RUN, BUMP & BOOGIE
2005 Date Announced, Early Online Registration and New Website Ready August
11, 2004
Salt Lake City, August 11, 2004 The second annual Salt Lake City Marathon
& 5K Run, Bump & Boogie will be held on April 23, 2005. Online registration
opens August 11, 2004 and is expected to fill quickly. Early registration
for the race is only $70 for the marathon and $25 for the 5K before January
2, 2005. With an 25 percent increase in the prize purse to $125,000, this
race is expected to attract even greater attention from world-class runners
around the globe. A newly redesigned website, www.saltlakecitymarathon.com
has easy-to-use registration forms, training information, travel and
accommodation links, special stories and photographs from the inaugural
event. In addition, participants can find course maps and details on the
entire weekend of festivities.
The weekend will be filled with spectacular entertainment and parties.
Celebrity runners are expected from a variety of major media. A fun-filled
pre-event Fitness Expo and Pasta Party will keep runners psyched for the
run. The Fitness Expo will take place on Thursday, April 21st and Friday,
April 22nd at the Salt Palace Convention Center, with many more exhibitors
and an additional day for packet pickup. Marathon participants will receive
a free ticket to an exhilarating post-race award concert and party,
featuring a top national touring band (to be announced) and 5K participants
will receive a $10 discount.
Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K, themed Run, Bump & Boogie is destined to be
the most spectacular new Marathon & 5 K on the horizon. The Salt Lake City
Marathon & 5K is certified and sanctioned through USATF, and is a qualifier
for the Boston Marathon. The 26.2 mile scenic downhill course makes it an
appealing run for a wide range of entrants. Entry classes will include
open, masters and wheelchair divisions and will have 17 age divisions. Due
to popular demand from the first running, new age divisions have been added
for those participants 85-90 years old and 90+. Runners times will be
clocked by a state-of-the-art chip timing system. The elite fields for both
men and women will be announced in March of 2005.
Top runners from around the world will enjoy crisp, cool running weather in
April, in a setting that surrounds them with snow-capped peaks contrasting
with spring blossoms, all along a flat and slightly downhill 26.2 mile
course. The Run, Bump & Boogie Marathon & 5K starts at the Olympic Legacy
Bridge at the University of Utah, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic
Athlete Village. The gentle course then skirts the base of the towering
Wasatch Mountains, passes by cozy neighborhoods and elegant estates, and
winds through Salt Lakes legendary wide streets, into the city center, via
Liberty Park. Here, the music will absolutely rock, the energy will surge,
and crowds of enthusiastic spectators will cheer participants on, all the
way to the electric finish at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway, in
downtown Salt Lake.
An elite field of talented world-class runners from around the globe set
the course records for the inaugural Salt Lake City Marathon, Run, Bump &
Boogie on April 24, 2004. Over 3,200 participated in the marathon and 3,100
in the 5K for the inaugural year. The Salt Lake Tribune declared the race
had everything it needed to be a stunning success from world class
athletes mixing with hundreds of regular runners to flawless organization,
an army of spirited volunteers and astonishing community support along
almost every inch of the 26.2-mile course around the city. Just like the
Olympics everything about the event was an utter joy to experience. A post
race awards ceremony was held at 7:00 p.m., followed by a concert headlined
by the B-52s. $50,000 was donated from the race to the Huntsman Cancer
Institute.
Once in Utah, its easy for runners to continue the adventure. In April,
visitors get the best of all worlds at their fingertips: golf, skiing,
hiking, biking, fishing, and explorations through the red rock canyons.
Visit www.utah.com for detailed
travel information.
The Devine Racing offices are located at 136 E. South Temple in Salt Lake
City, Utah. For race information, contact Greg Reid, Race Director at
(801) 412-6087 or . Devine Racing L.L.C. was created to
acquire and oversee prestigious amateur athletic events in major
destination cities, particularly marathons, triathlons and road races. With
a goal of acquiring premier running events, the intent is to build them
into the most well-respected running events in the world. Devine Racing
focuses on enhancing the participant experience, building an entire weekend
of spectacular events from fitness expos to world-class concerts designed
to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes. Devine Racing launched
the Salt Lake City Marathon in April of 2004 and just announced the
purchase of the Las Vegas Marathon. Other recently acquired events include
Chicagos unique Quarter and Half Marathons. Devine Racing is in contract
stages with additional major destination city road racing events. Chris
Devine serves as Chairman, Bruce Buzil is Vice Chairman, Tom Sly serves as
President, and Scott Kerr is the Executive Race Director. The privately
held company was established in 2003.
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