FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Event Director
Mt Rushmore Marathon &
Crazy Horse Half Marathon
300 N Phillips Ave. Ste 200
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
(tel) 605-274-6610
(fax) 605-338-2768
New Event will be a Monumental Challenge From Mt Rushmore to Crazy Horse
BLACK HILLS, SD- August 28, 2005 – Recently taken over by new management, the all new Mt Rushmore
Marathon and Crazy Horse Half Marathon is making some monumental changes to this year’s event.
Surrounded by the beautiful Black Hills and two of America’s most popular monuments, the course can
be enjoyed by both participants and spectators.
The event has undergone several changes including a new course, new expo, post event party,
benefiting charity, and prize money for top performers. The 27th running of the Mt Rushmore Marathon
will be the first time that either Mt. Rushmore or Crazy Horse is incorporated into the course
layout. The fact it will now include both of these spectacular attractions is truly monumental.
The committee is very excited about this year’s event. The fact that it starts at Mt Rushmore and
finishes at Crazy Horse is perfect because the effort to sculpt these two spectacular monuments can
only be a source of inspiration for the runners who have been training diligently to complete their
goals. The committee feels that with the support of the state and the Black Hills region, this has
the potential to be one of the premier destination marathons and half marathons in the country. The
committee is hoping to grow the race to 5000 participants over the next ten years.
This years event will also have over $10,000 in prize money awarded to top male and female finishers
for overall, masters, age groups, top Native American finisher, top South Dakotan finisher, and top
relay teams. There will also be a $500 donation to the United Way of the Black Hills in the name of
the business, group, organization, or club with the highest number of participants across all
events.
K-SKY 95.1FM will be hosting the post event festivities, broadcasting live from the finish line at
Crazy Horse Memorial, and providing on air updates throughout the morning. The post event activities
will include food, beverages, massage, music, and laser light show.
Viewing points have been established for friends, family, and fans along the course (Mt Rushmore,
Palmer Gluch, Hill City, Rafter J, and Crazy Horse Memorial). If you can not participate, sponsor,
or volunteer people are encouraged to come out, enjoy the day, and cheer on runners as they go by.
If you live or work along the course be sure to turnup your stereos and point them out the windows
so that the runners can listen as they go by and get a boost of energy from the music and your words
of support. Runners BIBs will display their names so supporters will be able to cheer them on in
person.
The United Way of the Black Hills will receive fifty percent of all cash sponsorships and one
hundred percent of individual donations. The remaining revenue will be used for event operation and
growth for future years.
The health and fitnes expo will be held in the Radisson ballroom in downtown Rapid City, SD on
Friday Oct 7th and Saturday Oct 8th. The expo will serve as the gathering point for runners,
volunteers, and media to get everything they need to prepare for event weekend as well as feature
booths from local, regional, and national businesses.
The Marathon will start at 8:00 AM at Mt Rushmore National Memorial and proceed down Highway 244 to
the Highway 385 intersection, then head North into Hill City. The course will then loop through the
North side of Hill City and head South on the Mickelson Trail to finish at the Crazy Horse Memorial.
The Half Marathon will start at 9:00 AM in downtown Hill City then loop through the North side of
Hill City and then head South on the Mickelson Trail towards Crazy Horse Memorial for the big
finish.
The four-person Marathon Relay will start at Mt Rushmore National Memorial and follow the same route
as the marathon with relay exchange legs as follows: Mt Rushmore to Palmer Gulch (6M), Palmer Gulch
to Hill City (7M), Hill City to Rafter J (7M), and Rafter J to Crazy Horse (6M).
The 5K Run/Walk will start at 10:00 AM at Crazy Horse Memorial and will be an out and back course
with the 5K start/finish line being the same as the marathon finish.
For event details, course maps, schedules, and registration information go to:
http://www.MtRushmoreMarathon.com.
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