FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elaine Fitzgerald
(954) 956-8999 office
(954) 471-6704 cell
Thousands of Runners Sign up for Greater Fort Lauderdale¹s
Inaugural A1A Marathon Feb. 19
FT. LAUDERDALE / BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Athletes from throughout South
Florida, more than 40 states and 12 foreign countries are signed up and
preparing for Greater Ft. Lauderdale's first major marathon, expected to
become a new signature event for the coastal area. The inaugural A1A
Marathon and half marathon, presented by Wachovia, is set for Sunday,
February 19, with a 6:30 a.m. start during Presidents¹ Day weekend.
"Few places in this country are as beautiful for a signature race as the
stretch of A-1-A through the beachfront communities of Ft. Lauderdale,
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Pompano Beach," said race producer Steve Tebon,
president of Exclusive Sports Marketing in Boca Raton. "Greater Ft.
Lauderdale is one of the few major metropolitan areas that has not had a
certified marathon, and we believe this event will grow to become another
significant way Broward County can showplace itself to the rest of the
world."
The A1A Marathon is a USA Track & Field (USATF) certified course that will
qualify men and women of various age groups for the Boston Marathon--the
granddaddy of this hugely popular sport. The A1A Marathon course will
follow along some of the nation's finest award-winning Blue Wave beaches,
with a flat elevation, holiday weekend and February's cool temperatures
expected to draw even more runners to the first-time event.
"We started running marathons after having our two babies to get back into
shape, and we train along A1A all the time," said marathon participants
Christopher and Jules Kariher, a husband and wife from Ft. Lauderdale. One
of the older women runners who is signed up to run the full marathon is
Teresa Roth of Deerfield Beach who is in her sixties and running her tenth
marathon. "I¹m getting slower, but I¹m enjoying them more," said Roth,
"and this time I don¹t have to travel." Miami resident Ben Kuehne is
recovering from emergency surgery last May of a broken heart valve, but
that¹s not stopping him from preparing for the A1A Marathon. "I¹m training
for this marathon to get myself back to 110%," he says.
About 1,000 runners will run the full 26.2 mile marathon, and another 1,500
will run the half marathon. State Road A-1-A and some smaller oceanfront
roads will be closed from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on race day to accommodate
hundreds of runners and spectators who will line the race route. Several
bands are scheduled to entertain crowds at key points along the way.
Athletes, volunteers, and corporate sponsors can sign up to participate by
going to www.a1amarathon.com or by calling (561) 241-3801.
Participants who wish to walk instead of run in the marathon are invited to
join the half-marathon. Athletes will check in the day before the race on
February 18 at the Broward County Convention Center, where a free running
and health Expo sponsored by NOVA Southeastern University will be held for
race participants and open to the public.
For more information about the A1A Marathon and half marathon, the course,
rules, event schedules and more, please visit www.a1amarathon.com or
contact race organizers at Exclusive Sports Marketing at (561) 341-3801.
Note to Editors: High resolution photos of A1A practice runs, event logos
and press releases can be found on the News Media page of
www.a1amarathon.com. If you would like to interview/photograph
athletes from your community who are preparing to run in the A1A Marathon,
please call Elaine Fitzgerald for a list of your local participants and
some special stories associated with them.
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