Posted: April 27, 2006

Athletics: Falmouth Road Race Lands Title Sponsor

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

The organizers of the Falmouth Road Race, one of the premier races of the U.S. summer racing schedule, announced today that they have landed a new title sponsor.

CIGNA Group Insurance, which includes disability, life and accident insurance, and CIGNA Dental, will provide the dominant financial support for the event's elite race, including its prize money purse, traditionally one of the largest of any non-marathon road race in the United States. The winners of last year's race, Gilbert Okari of Kenya and Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands, each received $11,000.

"We are excited at the opportunity to be the principal sponsor of the Falmouth Road Race," said CIGNA Group and Dental Insurance president, Karen S. Rohan, in a prepared statement. "It is nationally renowned for offering a first-class running weekend for recreational runners and elite competitors alike. As a company that cares about the health and wellness of our members, it's a great match for us to sponsor this outstanding road race."

Savings Bank Life Insurance (SBLI) had sponsored the race since 2001.

Hugging the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the approximately 7 mile course runs from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. The course is one of the most beautiful in all of road racing, and offers several challenging hills. In it's 33-year history, the race has crowned as champions many of the sport's greatest athletes, including Khalid Khannouchi (twice), Benson Masya (twice), Alberto Salazar (twice), Bill Rodgers (three times), Lynn Jennings, Lornah Kiplagat (four times), Catherine Ndereba (three times) and Joan Samuelson (a record six times). Okari (31:08) and Kiplagat (35:02) hold the course records.

Scheduled for Sunday, August 13, the race will attract some 10,000 official entrants, and thousands more "bandits" who run unofficially.

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