Posted: April 19, 2005

Athletics: Cowboy Troy to Be Honorary Captain for Foot Locker County Challenge at Country Music Marathon

Raybaw/WBR Recording Artist and Former Foot Locker Salesperson Will Be On-hand Race Day To Cheer Runners

NASHVILLE, TN., April 19, 2005 - Raybaw/WBR Recording artist and former Dallas, Texas Foot Locker salesperson, Cowboy Troy, has agreed to be the Honorary Captain for the 2005 Foot Locker County Challenge during the Country Music Marathon Saturday, April 30. Cowboy Troy will be cheering for his Foot Locker team at both the start and finish lines of the 26.2-mile road race.

The Foot Locker County Challenge, the race within the race, is a unique program in which five Country Music Marathon runners from the Nashville area are selected to represent their county during the race. One runner was chosen from each of the following counties: Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson. The participant who finishes the marathon in the fastest time captures the title of Foot Locker County Challenge Champion.

"The Country Music Marathon is a unique event that combines athletics, music and community," says Adam Zocks, General Manager of the event. "When we heard there was a country artist who used to work for Foot Locker, we immediately wanted that person to be involved in our race. Cowboy Troy is an athlete as well as an artist. He understands competition and motivation in and out of the studio. It's a perfect fit."

"I'm really excited about being honorary captain for this event and happy to have the chance to work with my friends at Foot Locker again," said Cowboy Troy. He adds, "I can't wait to meet the County Challenge runners chosen to represent Foot Locker and cheer them on their 26.2 mile adventure."

Cowboy Troy's new single, "I Play Chicken With the Train" is currently climbing the charts and the video is receiving airplay on CMT and GAC.

The five runners will be introduced to the media at a press conference on Thursday, April 28. While this is a "friendly" competition, the Foot Locker County Challenge participants are battling for an impressive prize package, including an exclusive County Challenge trophy, a two-night stay at the Hilton Nashville Downtown, dinner at P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a Gibson guitar and a chance to meet country music star Phil Vassar before the post-race concert.

The 2004 Foot Locker County Challenge winner was David Hensel of Williamson, who completed the race in 3:49.

The 2005 Foot Locker County Challenge Representatives:

Sumner County
Matt Hobdy, 33, Hendersonville
Occupation - Buyer for a retail company
Matt started running about four years ago when decided he needed to lose weight. At the time he could hardly run a mile. Since then, Matt has lost 30 pounds and participated in three half-marathons and three marathons. Matt is a true representative for Sumner County as he was born and raised there.

Davidson County
David Dunn, 50, Nashville
Occupation - Physician
David has been running for 25 years, and has run a marathon every five years since he was 25. "I feel this is a special marathon since I just turned 50 and my family is also running. My son who is eight will be running his third kids' marathon and my daughter who is seven will be running her second. Since the three of us have marathon posters, my daughter asked my wife why she didn't have one. Well, my wife is now running her first half marathon. She had never run more than four miles prior to starting her training."

Wilson County
Scott Lively, 37, Mount Juliet
Occupation - Fireman
"I got into running because I was 100 pounds over-weight. Running helped me lose all the weight and keep a healthy lifestyle. There is something different in every run.I've run upon wild animals. I've had people throw things at me. I've had people stop and offer me a drink. I believe I represent everything that marathoning is. I'm an average person who has overcome an obstacle (losing weight) and proven after five marathons if I can do it, anyone can."

Williamson County
Matt Sasso, 41, Franklin
Occupation - Managing Director
Matt, who has run seven marathons, started running for exercise and weight control. "I started running in my neighborhood. A neighbor joined me and we challenged each other to run a marathon. Before we knew it, we had picked up a few more neighbors and a running group was formed. I love to run and talk about it. Yes, I'm obsessed with it. I really enjoy meeting different runners and trading stories."

Rutherford County
Kellie Arrant, 33, Smyrna
Occupation - Pharmaceutical Sales
"I started running three years ago on a whim when a good friend of mine had the idea to run a half-marathon in March of 2002. I had such a great experience that I started training for the full CMM that April and had only a month to do it. It was awesome!" Kellie ran the Louisville marathon last year and her finishing time was the exact same, to the second, as the 2004 County Challenge winner (David Hensel, Williamson, 3:49:36).

About the Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon is produced by Elite Racing, Inc. The annual event attracts over 17,000 runners and 100,000 spectators and benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society , which has raised over $9.5 million in its five-year history with the Nashville-based event. In addition, the race receives extensive national, regional and local media coverage and will be taped to broadcast nationally on FSN and regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast.

Elite Racing, Inc., a sports marketing and management company based in San Diego, Calif., is the leader in producing world-class running events. In addition to the Country Music Marathon & = Marathon, Elite Racing produces eight events each year, including the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Carlsbad 5000, the world's fastest 5K.

About Foot Locker, Inc.
Foot Locker is part of Foot Locker, Inc., an athletic specialty retailer that operates approximately 4,000 stores in 18 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com, the Company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.