WCSN.com Delivers FREE Live and On-Demand Coverage of the Flora London Marathon on April 22
World's Greatest Marathon Runners Set for Head-to-Head Battle
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, is offering free live and on-demand coverage of the annual London Marathon via its broadband network available to everyone in the USA and Canada. Taking place on Sunday, April 22, beginning live at 4 a.m. Eastern, fans can go to www.wcsn.com to watch comprehensive coverage of the 26.2 mile event as over 35,000 participants including elite marathon runners, celebrities and amateurs, will run past many famous landmarks through London.
As the second stop of the newly formed World Marathon Majors, a marathon series offering $1 million prize purse to be split between the top male and female marathoners in the world, the Flora London Marathon will offer one of the highest quality men's field ever. Participants include last year's fastest marathon runner, Haile Gebrselassie, current marathon world record holder Paul Tergat, 2006 London Marathon winner Felix Limo, 2004 Athens gold medalist Stefano Baldini, two-time World Champion Jaouad Gharib, 2005 London Marathon winner Martin Lel, former marathon world record holder Khalid Khannouchi, 2006 New York Marathon winner Marilson Gomes dos Santos, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and fellow American Ryan Hall who will be making his much anticipated debut.
The women's field will be its strongest ever with top caliber long distance runners such as 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon winner Berhane Adere, Asian Games champion Zhou Chunxiu, World Cross Country champion Lornah Kiplagat and current Berlin Marathon champion Geta Wami.
"WCSN is thrilled to be able to provide marathon fans the opportunity to follow this amazing event live and in its entirety for the first time in the USA and Canada," said WCSN Chairman and CEO Claude Ruibal. "We're excited to raise further awareness about this popular event and hope fans tune in to watch world class athletes test their limits and endurance in the Flora London Marathon."
"It is important that U.S. and Canada marathon fans can see this race because we have such a strong men's elite field," said Flora London Marathon Race Director David Bedford. "The presence of the world record holder, the world and Olympic champions, our reigning champion and the in-form Haile Gebrselassie will, I am sure, mean we have another hugely exciting race through London's streets."
Richard Hornsby-Smith, Sports Sales Manager, BBC Worldwide added, "The Flora London Marathon is one of the great highlights of the British sporting calendar. It's also one of the most internationally popular, with BBC Worldwide licensing it last year to over 160 countries around the world. I'm delighted that this fantastic event will be available live and online in North America via WCSN for the very first time."
From the inaugural London Marathon in 1981 with over 7,500 participants, the event has continued to garner much interest and success over the years, now at full capacity with over 35,000 runners and part of the World Marathon Majors, a series of high-profile courses aimed at increasing the level of elite racing that include the Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York City marathons. As a result of all this popularity, the Flora London Marathon has also become the largest annual fundraising event in the world, having raised more than $620 million by its runners to date. And with no additional cost, visitors to WCSN.com can enjoy live and on-demand coverage of the event as well as post-event videos, features, photos and highlights.
About WCSN
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in depth access to sports news and information year round.
WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines, through exclusive long term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major championship events in sports ranging from Track & Field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo are featured online at www.wcsn.com and on television via WCSN's 24/7 cable sports network. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in partnership with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related websites and publications.
WCSN has a strategic partnership agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet Company of Major League Baseball, for its website WCSN.com. WCSN's lead investor is Polaris Venture Partners who invests in seed, early stage, and middle market companies in high growth industries. They have over $3 billion under management and currently invest in over 90 companies. For more information, please visit www.wcsn.com.
About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the licence payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has six core businesses: Global Channels, Global TV Sales, Magazines, Content & Production, Home Entertainment and Digital Media. In 2005/06 BBC Worldwide generated profits of GBP 89 million on sales of GBP 784 million.
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