Posted: March 31, 2005

Athletics: Spirit of St. Louis Marathon Combines "Art & Sole" to Inspire and Add Color

28 Unique Works of Art Displayed Along the Course

ST. LOUIS - (March 30, 2005) - As thousands of runners and walkers take over the streets of St. Louis on April 10th, participants will have another reason to keep moving toward the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon finish line. They will be visually treated to twenty-eight unique works of art heralding the start and finish of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon and marking the 26 miles in between.

"We wanted something special to highlight our fifth anniversary and thought we'd look at ways to add a visual element to the marathon. Zipatoni came up with the tagline "Art & Sole" and the idea to feature larger-than-life sculptures evolved from there," said Nancy Lieberman, president of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend™.

While the sculptures differ in color, materials and height (the range is from 6 feet to 9 feet) they all share a central theme of running. Artists' interpretations of the sport vary from an oversized rat competing in a "Rat Race" to Athena, a female warrior inspired by double-amputee track star Aimee Mullins. Other sculptures include "Faster," a conceptual runner leaping over the Gateway Arch, "Aqua Tread," an eclectic-looking, running lizard and the modernistic "Two Left Feet - Running Squared," with a runner fashioned after the cubist style.

Twenty-eight artists were selected from a field of more than 50 applicants to design and create the sculptures under the tutelage of artist and teacher Rich Brooks who specializes in creating oversized, whimsical sculptures. The artists, primarily from the greater St. Louis area, ranged in age from 18 to 60 and had experience levels ranging from beginner to professional. None of the artists had prior experience in this particular art form.

The "Art & Sole" visual arts mentoring program was made possible by support from Panera Bread's St. Louis Bread Co. in coordination with the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission.

The 2005 weekend kicks off on Friday, April 8, with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Health & Fitness Expo at the Marriott Pavilion Downtown. The action moves to Forest Park on Saturday, April 9, with a variety of Fun Runs ranging from a Diaper Dash to a 1/2-mile run, the Energizer Read, Right & Run Marathon™, the Bally Total Fitness 5K run/walk and the Mature Mile, sponsored by the Washington University School of Physical Therapy. Sunday, April 10, is endurance day as thousands of runners and walkers test their stamina for the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon, Blue Cross Blue Shield Half Marathon and a four-person Marathon Relay.

The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting community wellness through a variety of running and walking events for athletes of all ages and athletic abilities. Last year, the St. Louis Marathon Weekend had the honor of hosting the 2004 Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon.

For more information about the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon Weekend & Family Fitness Weekend, visit www.StLouisMarathon.com or call (314) 727-0800.

Source: Diana Minardi Strauss, (314) 378-6641
Brenda Madden Kimberlin, (314) 496-1799

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.