Posted: November 1, 2004

Athletics: No bones about it, return of Silicon Valley Marathon a Halloween treat

Nearly 2,000 runners enjoy fast course, finish line fun

SAN JOSE, California (October 31, 2004) Evolve Sports today brought the Silicon Valley Marathon back to life with a triumphant return and nearly 2,000 runners. Brent Wright, 28, of Palo Alto, won the men's marathon in 2:53:22, while Cinthya Vielma, 36, of San Jose, took the women's crown in 3:09:58 on the flat, fast, Boston Marathon qualifier course, and the San Jose community turned out in great support.

After a rousing performance by the San Jose Taiko drummers, early-rising competitors were greeted at the start line by Silicon Valley luminaries Carl Guardino, president and CEO, Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group; Cindy Chavez, City of San Jose council member; and Dan Fenton, president and CEO, San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau. Honorary event chair and Olympic gold medalist Brandi Chastain gave runners a final countdown and sent them running down the streets of San Jose.

Over the next several hours, marathon, half-marathon and 5 km runners streamed across the finish line and were entertained by live bands, a DJ spinning Halloween classics such as "Monster Mash," and KRTY's mobile radio van.

Notable marathon competitors included precocious 11-year-old Ian Rascji, of Los Gatos, who completed the marathon alongside his father, Louis, in five hours, ten minutes; white-knight Matt Chico, who, by finishing the marathon, completed a 3,800-mile run across America to raise money for measles vaccinations in Africa; and ambitious San Jose city council member Ken Yeager.

"What a great day for the marathon and the entire community," said Keir Beadling, Evolve Sports founder and CEO. "And what better day than Halloween to bring the event back to life with thousands of happy runners and spectators, an international sports hero, 11-year-old marathoner, great charitable cause, and ghoulish entertainment all day long. We're grateful to everyone who helped make it such a smashing success."

The Silicon Valley Marathon kids races, presented by Phelps Orthodontics, saw 200 children competing in distances ranging from a "Diaper Dash" to a one-mile run, after which all were presented well-deserved finishers' medals by Chastain. Local sports team mascots Stomper, of the Oakland A’s, Thunder, from the Golden State Warriors and the San Jose Earthquake’s Q.

The event benefited the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation, dedicated to creating a local, easily accessible, community-based hospital for all San Jose children and to support their families.

"I had a blast out there today with all those smiling faces,” said Chastain, who serves on the Foundation board. “I am also thrilled that we were able to put on such a positive, community event that will help us build a children's hospital right here in San Jose."

About Evolve Sports, LLC: Evolve Sports is a full-service sports marketing and management firm specializing in emerging sports. Evolve Sports owns properties and brands such as The Mavericks Surf Contest™ and The Silicon Valley Marathon®, represents the business interests of world class professional athletes, and provides consulting to corporate brands interested in the emerging sports arena. Evolve Sports’ operations are more fully described at www.evolve-sports.com, and more information on The Silicon Valley Marathon is available at www.svmarathon.com.