Posted: June 16, 2006

Athletics: New Marathon For Atlanta

From David Monti

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

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today that the Dutch financial giant, ING, will sponsor a new marathon in Atlanta next spring.

"Already home to the world's largest and most acclaimed 10-kilometer run, the Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta will begin staging its own version of the New York City Marathon," wrote reporter Jack Wilkinson. ING is also the sponsor of the New York City Marathon, Ottawa Marathon, Amsterdam Marathon and several others. They are also the title sponsor of the Bay to Breakers 12-K in San Francisco.

The new event will be called the ING Georgia Marathon, giving Atlanta a spring marathon to go along with their traditional Atlanta Marathon, held in November on Thanksgiving Day and organized for 43 years by the Atlanta Track Club. The ING Georgia Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, March 25.

Ironically, this will not be the next spring marathon in the Atlanta area. On March 4, 2007 the first Alpharetta Marathon & Half-Marathon will be held less than 25 miles north of Atlanta, and the Journal-Constitution reported the event will have a $20,000 prize money purse.

"I think March will turn out to be 'Marathon Month'," outgoing executive director of the Atlanta Track Club, Julia Emmons, told the newspaper. "I'm bemused by it," she added.

The race, which will start and finish on Peachtree Street at Woodruff Park and take in many of Atlanta's neighborhoods, will pay the male and female winners $5000 each.

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