Posted: January 10, 2005

Athletics: Register Online Now for Running USA 2005 Conference

Annual Industry Event for the Sport of Running Comes to San Diego in February

LA JOLLA, Calif. - (January 10, 2005) - There is still time to register online and reserve a spot at this year's Running USA 2005: The National Conference for the Running Industry, powered by Running USA, The Active Network, Inc. and National Sports Network. The annual signature event for the road racing and distance running industry comes to San Diego next month, February 3-5, 2005, featuring industry leaders and innovators in event management, sponsorship, retail and marketing. Attendees can register now at www.runningusa.active.com

This year's conference will cover debate and discussion on issues impacting the sport, including economic factors, sponsorship investment, charity involvement, media coverage and expanding support and growth for running. A special lunch will celebrate women in the industry and recognize their impact on the sport of running. A series of specialty vertical workshops and roundtables will also be offered for race directors of all levels, running store retailers, youth training program providers and media communication professionals. Topics for workshops and roundtables include event marketing and promotion, specialty running store programs, race operations and a media summit.

Keynote speakers for this year's conference include a variety of industry leaders:

* Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports
Sports and Fitness and the Challenges Facing 21st Century America
* Courtney Page Ferrell, #17, PLAY
Creative Imagination - Shaping The Years Ahead
* Rick Geswell, Executive VP Revenue & Marketing, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Running for a Cause
* Andrew Hersam, Publisher, Runner's World
Recent Trends in Road Racing
* Jeff Bail, Senior VP Marketing & Sales, Devine Racing
The Marketing and Branding of the Industry in the 21st Century
* Michael Mondello, Professor, Florida State University
Economic Impact of Running Events on a Locality
* Laren Ukman, Managing Director, IEG 
Sponsorship Trends and Best Practices
* Phil Olsman, Producer, NBC
Television Production - Running from the Network Perspective

Conference information, online registration and hotel reservations are available at www.runningusa.active.com. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Competitor Endurance Sports Awards at Sea World, San Diego, with discount tickets available to conference attendees.

Conference date, location and costs include:

Date: February 3-5, 2005
Location: Paradise Point Resort Mission Bay - San Diego, California
Cost: $345 (Running USA members)/$445 (Non-members)

About Running USA
Running USA is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit professional organization devoted to improving the status and experience of road racing and distance running in the United States through collective marketing and promotions, information and communications within the industry and to the national media, services to events and industry members, and the development of American world-class stars. It seeks the advancement of the sport and the provision of value to each of its member's events and businesses. Running USA was formed in 1999 as a joint venture between a coalition of leading road races, race services companies, running-related media companies, the athletic industry and USA Track & Field. The organization is based on the idea that its goals can best be achieved through everyone in the sport working together. For more information, visit www.runningusa.org.

About The Active Network, Inc.
The Active Network, Inc., an Inc. 500 company, is a leading provider of application and marketing services for the participatory activities and non-profit sectors. Organizations of all size use the company's application services to automate information collection, activity registration, facility reservation, membership and fundraising management. The Active Network's application services provide the technology to help organizations increase efficiency, while reducing the cost and complexity of managing community activities and fundraising events. The company's marketing services offer integrated online and field marketing campaigns to reach active consumers. The Active Network's consumer properties also offer a one-stop shop of services for the active lifestyle. Through a network of properties, the company delivers services to the largest customer base in its market. For more information, please visit www.theactivenetwork.com or call 1-888-543-7223.

About National Sports Network
National Sports Network is a group of 17 regional magazines focused on local amateur sports. With a circulation of 1.14 million every month, the magazines of the National Sports Network provide the essential local resource for event information, training advice, new product reviews, and features to help get the most out of an active lifestyle. For more information, visit www.nationalsportsnetwork.net .

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.