Contact: Laurence Dean Cohen
(310)474-5116
CITY OF LOS ANGELES MARATHON FIRST TO OFFER PERSONALIZED BIBS
18TH RUNNING OF THE RACE CELEBRATES "MIRACLES IN MOTION"
Race signs three-year agreement with #1 television station in the market.
Always on the leading edge of innovation as the first marathon in the world
to use timing chips and e-mail results to participants, the City of Los
Angeles Marathon presented by Honda will continue the tradition by becoming
the first major city marathon to offer personalized bibs for the 18th
running of the race on March 2, 2003. As a result, the one million curbside
spectators and 12,000 volunteers on the 26.2 mile course will be on a first
name basis with an expected 23,000 + runners, walkers and wheelchair
athletes and 17,000 cyclists in the Acura L.A. Bike Tour. Bibs will be
personalized with the first names of all participants who register before
December 30, 2002.
In another significant development, the race is enjoying its largest-ever
pre-race television coverage as a result of its agreement with NBC 4 to
offer four hours of live race coverage for the next three years. In
addition to broadcasting regularly scheduled training tips with L.A.
Roadrunners Coach Pat Connelly during its news broadcasts and on its website
at www.nbc4.tv, the station is following a number of people in training who
embody the theme for this year's race, "Miracles in Motion". These
inspiring "Miracles in Motion" features are being broadcast between now and
race day.
The elite field will be led by the race's first-ever back-to-back Men's
champion Stephen Ndungu of Kenya. The field will test its mettle on a course
that blends the best of the old and the new. While the 2003 course will
cover much of the flatter, faster terrain of the 2002 race, it will return
to the 6th and Figueroa Start Line and 5th and Flower Finish Line from
previous years.
The L.A. Roadrunners Official L.A. Marathon Training Program launched its
first ever satellite program, Ventura Roadrunners. More than 2000 people
are in training through this highly successful program with a 99% +
finishers' rate.
Race week is set to begin with the Quality of Life Expo, which will take
place from February 27 - March 1 in Kentia Hall at the Los Angeles
Convention Center. An estimated 80,000 participants will sample the wares of
400 exhibitors at an Expo that is only 2nd to the Auto Show in attendance.
Race day will begin at 6am with the Acura L.A. Bike Tour as 17,000 +
cyclists will leave Exposition Park for a traffic free tour of city streets.
Race coverage will commence on NBC 4 at 8am to set the stage for the
Wheelchair race, which begins at 8:15 am, and the Marathon, which will start
at 8:30am. The 5K Run/Walk will start at 9:45am at Staples Center.
The City of Los Angeles Marathon is looking to build on a record year in
which 22,167 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes participated in the
2002 race. The Acura L.A. Bike Tour attracted a record 16,392 cyclists. The
5K Run/Walk attracted a record 3,347 participants. The Official Charity
Program in 2002 raised $1,957,867.37 in contributions, nearly doubling the
previous record.
Detailed event information and applications are available at
www.lamarathon.com and by calling (310) 444-5544.
The 2003 City of Los Angeles Marathon Presented by Honda is sponsored by
American Airlines, City of Angels Medical Center, The Gas Company (A Sempra
Energy Utility), NBC4, Saucony and Sparkletts.
###
|
