Posted: April 10, 2006

Athletics: Salt Lake City Marathon Announces Inaugural New Half Marathon

New Course Will Showcase Beautiful Salt Lake City Neighborhoods

SALT LAKE CITY - (April 3, 2006) - Devine Sports, producers of the third annual Salt Lake City Marathon, have announced the addition of a Half Marathon, presented by 1280 Sports Radio, The Zone. The new Half Marathon has been added to the June 3rd Marathon, 5K Run/Walk, Bike Tour and Intermountain Kids Marathon 1K in order to accommodate runners who may not be ready to run a full marathon. Online registration is available at SaltLakeCityMarathon.com or by calling (801) 412-6060.

Scott Kerr, Vice President of the Salt Lake City Marathon, noted, "We're excited about the addition of a half-marathon this year. For two consecutive years, adding this has been our #1 request. The 13.1 mile race offers runners the best of both worlds. It traces the steps of the full marathon for two-thirds of the way while offering the runners the most scenic parts of the course, but at only half the distance. The Salt Lake City Half Marathon is expected to draw thousands of additional runners, truly making this a community event."

The new Half Marathon will share a common start at 6:45am with the Marathon at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah. The course splits from the full marathon shortly before entering Sugarhouse Park at the 4.5 mile mark. Runners will proceed southbound on 1700 East, turning west on Stratford Avenue, then turning south on Dearborn until they reach 2700 South.

Runners will then proceed west until 1100 East, then north through the quaint business district of Sugarhouse to 1700 South. Runners will then head west, where they will rejoin the full marathon course at 500 East, with approximately 4 miles left to run.

The excitement and beauty of the full course will not be lost on the Half Marathon. While on the flat and slightly downhill course, runners will enjoy being surrounded by the still snow-capped mountain peaks, late spring blossoms and beautiful neighborhoods. They will also share the same crowds of enthusiastic and cheering spectators all the way to the electric finish at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson says, "The addition of a new half-marathon is a wonderful bonus to an already outstanding weekend of fitness events for the citizens of the Salt Lake valley. The Salt Lake City Marathon truly showcases the best of Utah to all our visitors, gathers our local community together, and greatly benefits Salt Lake City, as it brought over $4 million visitor dollars into our community last year."

The 4-1/2 mile portion of the Half Marathon course, not traditionally affected by the full marathon, is expected to have minimal impact on businesses and traffic, as it will only be closed from 6:30-9:00am. A mailer will be sent to all affected households along the new portion of the course, and marathon organizers will go door-to-door to ensure that everyone is well informed. Police will be asked to allow traffic thru intersections as gaps in the runners exist.

Online registration is open and filling quickly. The cost to participate is $55 before April 27. Participants can sign up online and learn more at SaltLakeCityMarathon.com. Group discounts are available for 10 or more registering at the same time (mail in only).

About Salt Lake City Marathon
Salt Lake City Marathon has become one of the most spectacular new marathons on the endurance racing circuit. The Salt Lake City Marathon was among 12 new favorites listed by Runner's World in the 2005 Marathon Guide in their January article: "Small Wonders: Big Fun, Big Scenery, Big Rewards." January's Competitor Magazine and Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine both tout Salt Lake City as the "Best Race at Altitude." For race information, contact Scott Kerr at (801) 412-6060.

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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