FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon a Smash Hit
First ever Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series event in Asia attracts athletes
from 37 countries
CHENGDU, China - The inaugural United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu
Marathon & 1/2 Marathon took place on Saturday, October 28 in Dujiangyan
City, located just outside of Chengdu. Celebrating 20 years of history in
2017, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is the World's Largest Running
Series and the Chengdu race was the first-ever event held in Asia. The City
of Chengdu is the provincial capital of Sichuan and the 10th largest city
in China with over 7 million people. The event attracted running
enthusiasts and music fans from around the world and included three
distances: the marathon, half-marathon and a "fun-run."
"As the leading U.S. carrier connecting the U.S. and China, being a part of
the first Rock 'N' Roll Chengdu race events was an honor," said Mark
Krolick, Vice President of Marketing for United. "It was a great course,
with great people in a great city and we can't wait to be back next year."
The event featured live local bands and entertainment at every mile along
the course. Seven notable Chinese rock bands including Yao, Ashura and
Islands in the South performed on the headliner stage near the finish line
to kick-off the biggest running party in the southern Chinese city.
"Marathon running in China has made great progress. Every year millions of
people join the sport. Events like the Beijing Marathon and the Shanghai
International Marathon are sophisticated. I believe this Rock 'n' Roll
Marathon event will continue to enter more Chinese cities to give runners a
different and exciting experience," said Jeff Edwards, Operations Director
of Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series in Asia.
To encourage the runners to take on new challenges, at the celebration
party, the United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon selected 18
runners to participate in any Abbott World Marathon Major race in 2018, of
which six places were awarded to the top three men's and women's finishers,
and 12 were announced in the lucky draw section on the main stage before
the last song.
The United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon 2017 was hosted in
partnership with Dujiangyan People's Government, executed by the Dujiangyan
Sports Bureau, and organized by Chengdu ShuangYi Sports. Ltd. It also
received special support from the Wanda Sports Group. Together with the
strong support of United Airlines, the title partner, this event was also
generously supported by Under Armour, Michelob ULTRA and C'estbon. There
were also several gold-level sponsors which supported the event, namely:
Ito Yokado, West Hope Group, GARMIN, and Jingdong Sports.
For complete results, photos and more, visit RunRocknRoll.com/Chengdu
About United Airlines
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,500 flights a
day to 337 airports across five continents. In 2016, United and United
Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 143
million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive
route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston,
Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United
operates 751 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers
operate 489 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star
Alliance, which provides service to more than 190 countries via 28 member
airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter
or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United
Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol "UAL".
About the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is famous for lining race routes with
live bands and cheerleaders, massive participant numbers and rocking
post-race concerts. The original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 1998 is still
recognized as the largest inaugural marathon in U.S. history with 19,979
entrants. Over the 20-year history of the series, runners have raised more
than $349 million for a variety of charity causes and nonprofit
organizations. Today, the series of marathons and half-marathons has spread
to 30 destinations around the world. For more information, please visit
RunRocknRoll.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.
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