FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE INAUGURAL RUNNING OF THE "ROAD TO CARTHAGE MARATHON"
A new 26.2 mile marathon foot race will begin on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at
6:oo a.m. in Nauvoo, Illinois, and will finish, in the town of Carthage,
Illinois.
In addition, a half marathon and 5-person 26.2 mile relay run are also
planned to coincide with the marathon. The course will be US Track and
Field certified, which allows runners to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
$5,000 in prize money is being awarded to the top finishers of the
marathon. Runners will receive a finisher's medallion for all who finish
the event, and top overall and age bracket finishers will also receive an
award. The award ceremony will kick off with a post race barbeque later on
that Saturday afternoon.
The inaugural running of "The Road to Carthage Marathon" will begin in
front of the historic Nauvoo LDS temple. Participants will run through the
streets of "Old Nauvoo," for the first two miles of the race, and then run
south on Illinois highway 96. The view on highway 96 is a scenic run, and
in the late spring, is full of tall trees in bloom along the banks of the
Mississippi river.
The half marathon will end, at 13.1 miles into the course, in Hamilton,
Illinois.
The full marathon, and 5-person relay run, will change course after running
along the Mississippi for about 11 miles. The course then turns east, and
will continue across rural Hancock County, Illinois. Part of the marathon
will take runners through rural areas of the county, before coming into the
village of Carthage, at the end of the race.
This marathon course was made to follow, as closely as possible, the back
roads that were taken by two brothers (and their companions) on horseback
in 1846. It's the road taken by Joseph and Hyrum Smith, who were requested
to present themselves at the Carthage Jail on June 25, 1846. The were
killed on 27th of June, 1846, by a mob of men with painted faces who
stormed the jail. The "Road to Carthage Marathon" is designed to honor and
keep in memory the lives of Joseph and Hyrum.
Special guests, who will be in Nauvoo and Carthage for the weekend, are the
musical trio, GENTRI, and motivational speaker, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.
Rudy became a household name when his story as a Notre Dame football player
in 1975, was told in the feature film, Rudy. Rudy will give a short
inspirational message to the runners at the starting line, and he will also
speak at the award ceremony later that afternoon.
GENTRI, is a musical trio of tenors whose ballads and inspirational songs
are full of rich harmony. They will be performing at two shows on Saturday
afternoon, at the Carthage Legacy Theatre. The first show begins at 4:00
p.m., and the second is at 7:30 p.m.
Families who plan to visit the city of Nauvoo for the Memorial Day weekend,
beginning on May 27, 2017, will be able to enjoy a variety of events. Not
only will folks be able to enjoy the marathon run on Saturday, but also the
whole city of Nauvoo, will begin their summer tourist season that same
weekend. There are tours planned for all of the LDS historic sites in Old
Nauvoo, and also the Young Performing LDS missionaries will begin their
summer series of shows.
Proceeds for this event go to "History of the Saints.org" and the local
Food pantries in Hancock county.
Runners can register and find full details at www.carthagemarathon.com.
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