Posted: March 3, 2006

Athletics: Arkansas Governor Running as #2008 for Little Rock Marathon

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - (February 21, 2006) - With months of marathon training behind him, Gov. Huckabee accepted his official race number for the 2006 Little Rock Marathon during a ceremony today at Allsopp Park. Race Director Geneva Hampton came up with the idea to surprise Gov. Huckabee with the race number 2008. The 26.2-mile race through the streets of Little Rock will be Sunday, March 5.

"We thought it would be fun to give him 2008 in case he decides to run for president," said Hampton. "We were hoping that might get us a few tickets to his inauguration."

"People are always asking me if I'm going to run for president in 2008," said Huckabee, "Now I can honestly say I am running in 2008 - number 2008 in the Little Rock Marathon."

This will be Gov. Huckabee's third marathon. He completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. in October 2005 with a time of 4 hours 37 minutes and 10 seconds and he ran the Little Rock Marathon in March 2005 in 4:38:22.

Since Gov. Huckabee lost 110 pounds, he has put healthy living in the spotlight. His Healthy Arkansas program has partnered with the Little Rock Marathon this year to encourage healthy habits.

"Our partnership with the Little Rock Marathon will help us send the message of healthy living statewide. We want to encourage people to eat the right foods, quit smoking and exercise on a regular basis. The marathon is not only a fun event that benefits our state, it's an event that shows how people have found better health through exercise," said Huckabee.

The Little Rock Marathon is the highlight of a weekend of events geared toward fitness. The event is also a huge economic boost for the state, bringing in an estimated $4 million to the local economy.

For more information on how you can take part or volunteer for the Little Rock Marathon, call (501) 371-4770 or go to LittleRockMarathon.com

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.

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