FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bank of America Chicago Marathon Expands Media Partnerships
NBC 5 Chicago leads broadcast coverage of the event;
Marathon adds Chicago Tribune and Runner's World as print partners
CHICAGO, September 28, 2015 -- CHICAGO - Today, the Bank of America Chicago
Marathon announced that an expanded US and global audience will have access
to the Oct. 11, 2015 event via continued and new partnerships with
broadcast, radio and print media partners.
Chicago Broadcast and Radio Coverage
NBC 5 Chicago will continue its exclusive relationship with the marathon,
airing a four-hour live broadcast of the race from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
NBCchicago.com and the NBC 5 news app will also carry the broadcast as well
as a live finish line feed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In addition, CBS Radio's 670 The Score will again provide a live four-hour
radio broadcast from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.
NBC 5 Chicago's 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. programming, helmed by Lauren Jiggets,
will focus on the play-by-play action as well as inspiring stories and
features on runners. Mike Adamle will call the elite race and Zoraida
Sambolin and Stefan Holt will interview all the key performers at both the
start and finish lines.
Also contributing to the broadcast will be NBC Sports' Olympic marathon
analyst Tim Hutchings and Ed Eyestone, two-time Olympic marathoner. They
will discuss the elite men's race, and marathon veterans Dathan Ritzenhein
and Carrie Tollefson cover the women's competition.
At the Score, on-air talent will include sports radio veterans Josh Liss
and Larry Rawson. Joining them will be Boston Marathon champion Greg Meyer.
Olympian Jenny Spanger will provide commentary on the women's field, and
Creigh Kelley, a Denver-based running and triathalon announcer, will lend
his expertise to the men's field.
For more information about how to tune in across the Chicagoland area,
visit chicagomarathon.com.
National and Global Television Coverage
The Chicago Marathon has entered into a multi-year partnership with
Lagardere Sports and Entertainment to produce, for worldwide distribution,
a three-hour telecast focused on the elite competition.
For the 2015 race, Lagardere Sports has placed the national cable
television rights on Universal Sports Network. National race day coverage
begins at 8:30 am ET on Sunday, October 11. Universal Sports Network
provides viewers with unparalleled access to a wide range of world-class
sporting events, including the most year-round, Olympic-related programming
of any network. The network showcases many of the world's best athletes
competing in more than 40 sports, and 2015 is the home to more than 25
world championships, including those for swimming, track and field,
gymnastics, cycling and figure skating.
In addition to Universal Sports Network, the telecast will air in an
anticipated 150 countries, with coverage on beIN Sports (France), Band
Sports (Brazil), Fox Sports Australia, True Vision (Thailand), DirecTV
Latin America, Shanghai TV (China), Fujian TV (China), Shandong TV (China)
LETV (China) and others. In addition, the telecast will be distributed to
American servicemen and women stationed in 175 coutnries worldwide on the
American Forces Network.
Fuji Television will air the world feed in Japan, as they do for every race
that is part of Abbott World Marathon Majors. Runners from Japan account
for the fifth largest foreign participant base of any country at the
Chicago marathon behind Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
New Media Partners
The Chicago Tribune has joined on as a media partner of the Chicago
Marathon. Beyond covering the race's participants and elite athletes, the
Tribune will also publish the Chicago Marathon's Commemorative Section,
which will include names, finish times, hometowns and bib numbers of all
marathon participants who complete the race under 6:30:00. Results will
appear in the Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 edition of the Tribune.
At the 2015 Abbott Health & Fitness Expo, Runner's World Magazine will
become the first Title Sponsor of the programming stage. The Runner's World
Stage will feature opportunities to learn more about the course, receive
last-minute nutrition and training tips, see the latest in running gear and
technology and hear from industry experts and special guests like Chief
Running Officer Bart Yasso.
The Chicago Marathon is proud to continue its media partnerships with
Chicago Athlete Magazine and WXRT-FM.
Chicago Athlete Magazine spotlights local endurance sports with its
running, cycling, triathlon and fitness coverage. With a dedicated Chicago
focus, the magazine provides the most up-to-date content and information
for area residents dedicated to leading an active lifestyle.
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 38th year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands
of runners from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a
world-class elite field, top regional and Masters runners, race veterans,
debut marathoners and charity runners. The race's iconic course takes
runners through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural
tour of Chicago. In 2014, an estimated 1.7 million spectators lined the
streets cheering on a record, 40,659 runners from the start line to the
final stretch down Columbus Drive. As a result of the race's national and
international draw, the Chicago Marathon assists in raising millions of
dollars for a variety of charitable causes while generating $253 million in
annual economic impact to its host city. The 2015 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and
finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11. In
advance of the race, a two-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at
McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 9, and Saturday,
October 10. For more information about the event and how to get involved,
go to chicagomarathon.com.
Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
chicagomarathon.com
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