FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Sets New Marathon Course for 2015
-North Carolina's Largest Distance Running Event Takes Steps to Enhance
Runner Experience
-New Route Features Meredith College and Centennial Campus of North
Carolina State University
-Event Benefits The V Foundation for Cancer Research; Registration open at
RunRocknRoll.com
Raleigh, NC - November 6, 2014 - The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series today
unveiled a new course for the second annual Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Marathon
& 1/2 Marathon presented by WRAL benefiting The V Foundation set to take
place the weekend of April 10-12, 2015.
Participants will again experience sights like the Governor's Mansion, Rose
Garden, historic Oakwood neighborhood and North Carolina State campus and
will finish in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street near the Red Hat
Amphitheater where they can gather with friends and family for the post
race concert.
"We are delighted with the new marathon course. It's an outstanding
showcase of Raleigh sites and it lives up to our goal of offering a
'postcard' route to runners from all over the nation," said Scott Dupree,
Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. "The new route
features the scenic addition of NC State's Centennial Campus, as well a run
through the beautiful Meredith College campus. We are grateful to both
State and Meredith for welcoming Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh."
The marathon and half-marathon will once again start on South Salisbury
Street in downtown Raleigh. The revamped course travels past the Governor's
Mansion, onto Martin Luther King Blvd, touring the revitalized neighborhood
of Chavis Heights. At mile 4 the route enters Historic Oakwood, showcasing
a community of beautiful Southern homes from the mid 1800's to the early
1900's.
The course ventures past William Peace University onto Peace Street and
Clark Ave where the marathon and half-marathon split just after Cameron
Village, which is the oldest shopping center in the Southeast and the first
planned community to be developed in Raleigh. The marathon course continues
on Hillsborough Street at Mile 9, running through the beautiful 225-acre
campus of Meredith College, a prestigious women's college founded in 1891.
"The new route also includes Lake Johnson, along with many of the same
landmarks from last year - the Daily Planet at the Museum of Natural
Sciences, the Hillsborough Street District, Pullen Park and the Dorothea
Dix property. And the course also winds by Shaw University and St.
Augustine's University," added Dupree. "In addition, runners will find that
this route is considerably less hilly than last year's. Most notably, the
difficult Edwards Mill stretch has been removed, as has the out and back
down Reedy Creek. Of course, this is Raleigh, not Kansas, and we can't
avoid hills altogether, but runners will absolutely notice an improvement
in that regard."
One of the marquee new attractions in 2015 is sure to be miles 14-16 at NC
State, passing through the cutting-edge Centennial Campus and Fraternity
Court, before heading south on Avent Ferry. From NC State the route will
cross Lake Johnson, a 300 acre park with miles of recreation and trails,
before heading back to Centennial Campus and the Dorothea Dix property.
Marathoners will complete their final miles on Boylan Ave through Boylan
Heights, which is charming neighborhood with historic bungalows, before
turning on Morgan Street to the finish line on Fayetteville Street, which
features thousands of screaming spectators with North Carolina's Capitol
Building as a back drop.
The race will again benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded
by the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach
and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has funded more than $115
million in cancer research grants nationwide and Team V efforts raised more
than $300,000 at the inaugural event in April. Runners can join the cause
by running for Team V at www.run4v.org.
Marathon weekend will begin with a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo at
the Raleigh Convention Center where all participants go to pick up their
race number. The expo will feature dozens of running and fitness retailers,
exhibits with free nutritional samples and a series of interactive clinics
with running experts and pro athletes.
For more information about Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh or to register for the
race, please visit RunRocknRoll.com/Raleigh.
About Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh
The second Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon presented by WRAL
benefiting The V Foundation will take place on the weekend of April 10-12,
2015. Open to runners and walkers from novice to professional, live bands
and local high school cheerleaders entertain and cheer on participants at
every mile along the scenic course. A two-day Health & Fitness Expo kicks
off race week at the Raleigh Convention Center on Friday, April 10 and
Saturday, April 11. All participants must visit the expo to pick up their
race numbers and browse over 100 vendors from the running and fitness
industry. Race weekend concludes with a finish line festival and post-race
concert at the Red Hat Amphitheater. To register for the race or for more
information about Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh, visit RunRocknRoll.com/Raleigh or
follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.
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