Posted: July 21, 2005

Athletics: Date Set for 2006 City of Los Angeles Marathon

Online Registration Opens on July 21 - Prizes for Early Registrants

LOS ANGELES - (July 19, 2005) - Organizers of the City of Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda have announced that the 21st annual event will take place on Sunday, March 19, 2006. Traditionally held on the first Sunday of March, the race date was changed at the request of city officials due to a scheduling conflict with the Academy Awards.

Online registration for the 2006 City of Los Angeles Marathon will begin on the 21st of July at 12:01 pm (PST). In celebration of the 21st City of Los Angeles Marathon, Saucony will provide one pair of Grid Omni 5 running shoes to the first 21 people who register for the Marathon online. The Grid Omni 5, a supportive training shoe, has been named "Editor's Choice" in the September 2005 issue of Runner's World magazine.

Since L.A. is the first major marathon each year, the opening day of online registration will be further celebrated with "L.A. First" incentives for the first people to register online. The first person to register from California will receive free entry into the race. The first person to register from another state will receive a roundtrip ticket on American Airlines to come to Los Angeles for the Marathon, and the first person from outside the United States will receive a two-night, race weekend stay at the Wilshire Grand hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

All registrants who sign up for the race before August 31, 2005 will be eligible for a drawing to win an array of prizes including roundtrip American Airlines tickets, admission to the Carbo Load Dinner and VIP hospitality on race day at Club 26. An early registration fee of $75 for the Marathon will be available until November 1, 2005. More details about registering for the 21st annual Los Angeles Marathon are available at LAMarathon.com. This year, the popular Roadrunners training program in Los Angeles and Ventura has expanded to a third location in the Inland Empire. More than 99% of those who stick with the training cross the finish line on race day. Rod Dixon has been brought on board as Director of Training. Dixon, a 1972 Olympic bronze medalist whose come from behind win at the 1983 New York City Marathon is one of the most memorable in history, will build on the legacy of Roadrunners' success by offering "professional marathon training for the everyday athlete." He will bring in such legendary marathon runners as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter and Lorraine Moller, along with experts in training and nutrition to offer their expertise and take your training experience to the ultimate level. The cost of Roadrunners training is $75 and only $50 if you register for the Marathon at the same time. Training begins on September 10.

The 2006 Los Angeles Marathon will once again be televised live on NBC4 and Telemundo 52 and via the World Wide Web courtesy of NBC4. The Webcast enables a global audience to experience NBC4's live broadcast of the marathon in real-time by logging onto NBC4.tv or by linking through LAMarathon.com.

"The Challenge" returns for the third year, in which the elite women start the race approximately 20 minutes ahead of the elite men and compete for a cash bonus for the first person to cross the finish line.

The Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda is the largest marathon held in California, the fourth largest in the country and the seventh largest in the world. It is expected to draw more than 25,000 runners from 50 states and 100 countries in 2006.

Since its inception, the L.A. Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, has raised more than $25 million for local charities by encouraging participants to run for a cause. Once again, the L.A. Marathon promises to deliver what has become known as the "Million Dollar Morning", as 50 charities will benefit from the anticipated $2.5 million raised by runners who complete the 26.2-mile run.

In addition to American Honda Motor Co., Inc., marathon sponsors include American Airlines, NBC4, Telemundo 52, Saucony and Emerald Nuts. To-date, more than 375,000 runners and walkers have participated in the L.A. Marathon.

For more information or to register for L.A. Marathon XXI, visit LAMarathon.com or call (310) 444-5544.