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New Denver Marathon Draws International Recognition With A Scenic Race Course, Community Celebrations And World-Class Elite Athletes
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The inaugural 2006 world-class Denver Marathon™ will debut in the Mile High City on Sunday, October 15, 2006. An estimated 5,000 runners are planning to participate on race day, which includes a marathon, a half-marathon, a four-person relay and the McDonald’s Mile Kids Race. The race day will draw runners from around the world, including 13 countries and 43 states within the continental United States and more than 600 volunteers will join together to help make the event a success over the course of race weekend.
The Denver Marathon follows a spectacular scenic route designed by renowned Boston Marathon and new Denver Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray and his Denver Marathon operations team. The course highlights the cultural diversity of Denver’s communities by incorporating a mix of urban neighborhoods, shopping and restaurant districts, city parks and residential areas. The race course is flat and has little to no elevation change and will be certified by USA Track & Field as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.
The new Denver Marathon will welcome international elite athletes including local Coloradoan Alan Culpepper, who is ranked the #2 marathoner in U.S. by Track & Field News and will be running the half-marathon; Kenyan Mike Korir, Philadelphia Marathon champion in 2002 and 2004 and Taeko Terauchi from Japan, who is a leading female runner in both Japan and the United States.
The course will start in front of the State Capitol, travel past many of Denver’s major landmarks such as the Denver Public Library and the Denver Art Museum. It loops through LoDo (lower downtown), including Larimer Square, Pepsi Center, Union Station and Coors Field, and winds through City, Cheesman and Washington Parks and their neighborhoods. The final stretch will take runners down Denver’s art district on Santa Fe Drive to the finish line and a post-race festival in Civic Center Park.
Fees for the Denver marathon are $95.00 for advance registration and the walk-up fee at the EXPO, taking place at the Adam’s Mark Hotel on October 13-14, is $105.00. Half-marathon registration fees are $75.00 and $85.00 for walk-ups at the EXPO. The marathon relay registration fees are $160.00 and the walk-up fee at the EXPO is $200. The McDonald’s Mile Kids Race fees are $10 online and the walk-up fee at the EXPO is $12.
Businesses and organizations can enter teams of four persons to run the Denver Marathon Corporate Relay, of which 100 percent of the money raised will benefit Denver’s Road Home, Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper’s 10-year plan to end homelessness.
“We are thrilled to bring a world-class marathon and running experience to Denver,” said McGillivray. “The inaugural Denver Marathon will also bring an extremely positive economic influence to the city of Denver with an estimated gross impact on local spending reaching over $3 million in 2006.”
The Denver Marathon is proud to also announce this year’s inaugural sponsors of this year’s Denver Marathon include CBS4 Denver, KBCO-FM, 5280 Magazine, Saturn, New Balance, McDonald’s, Colorado Athletic Club, Michelob Ultra, Adams Mark Hotel, Coleman Natural Foods, Gatorade, Clif Bar, and Deep Rock Water.
Approximately 100 participants in this year's Denver Marathon will represent chosen charitable organizations which will raise more than $150,000. These charities include the American Council of the Blind of Colorado, Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI), Denver CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, Denver’s Road Home, Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado, Denver Rescue Mission, Metro Denver Sports Foundation (MDSC) "Sneaker Week" and Warren Village.
Parking will be available at the Northwest and South of Civic Center Park and near Union Station. Runners can also park along the 16th Street Mall and ride the free shuttle-bus along the 16th Street Mall starting at 5:45 a.m. on race day.
Street closures throughout the city of Denver are anticipated between 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. during race day on a rolling closure schedule. Residents should expect delays during this time and race organizers recommend pre-planning activities during race day to minimize any traffic inconveniences. Please see a map and timeline on www.denvermarathon.com for specific street closures and additional information.
For more information or to register, runners can visit www.denvermarathon.com. Runners can also register at the Denver Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO (if available).
About Denver Marathon™
The new Denver MarathonTM is owned and operated by Run Denver, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Experience Sports, LLC – a sports marketing and management company. Run Denver was created to develop an annual Denver marathon and half marathon that will bring a world-class running experience to the Denver community and economic and social vitality to the metro Denver area. For more information, please visit www.denvermarathon.com.
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