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For more information, contact: The St. Louis Sports Commission ST. LOUIS MARATHON DEBUTS COURSE FOR 2003 RACES AND 2004 U.S. OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS ORGANIZERS BEGIN DRIVE TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL RESIDENTS TO "RUN ST. LOUIS"ST. LOUIS — Nov. 12, 2002 — With less than five months to go before the nation’s leading ladies of long-distance running compete in St. Louis, local organizers of the 2003 USA Women’s Marathon Championship and the 2004 Women’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials today unveiled the course that will be used for both events. The 2003 national championship race takes place April 5. It serves as a tune-up of sorts for St. Louis, which hosts the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials April 4, 2004. The Trials will be a signature event of Celebrate 2004 — a yearlong series of events to commemorate the region’s historic anniversaries and celebrate its recent accomplishments. The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend and the St. Louis Sports Commission will organize the two prestigious races. The course for the Championship and Trials will take the elite women runners on a historic route. They’ll start on the track at Washington University’s Francis Field, site of the 1904 Olympic Marathon — the first marathon ever held west of the Mississippi River. After circling the track, the athletes will exit through the gates of Francis Field and run toward Forest Park on Forsyth Boulevard. They’ll then make 3 _ loops through Forest Park, finishing the 26.2-mile race on Government Drive directly below the World’s Fair Pavilion. Forest Park was the location of the World’s Fair and several Olympic events in 1904. "It’s very exciting that over the next two years we will be able to showcase the jewel that is Forest Park," said Tom Eckelman, who designed the Championship and Olympic Trials course. Eckelman serves as co-race director for the St. Louis Marathon along with Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray. "For the elite women runners this will be a unique and special experience," Eckelman said. "Creating the criterium course [the 3 _ loops through the park] allows us to give USA Track & Field a fast course, which is very important since the U.S. hopes to qualify the maximum three runners for the Olympics. We’ll also be able to have more of a concentration of spectators on the course, and that will certainly help the runners. They’ll appreciate the constant cheering and encouragement." THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS MARATHON While the field for the Championship and Trials is limited to athletes who qualify under a specified time standard, the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon — which takes place April 6, 2003 — will be open to runners of all ages and abilities. Marathon organizers today also announced the course for the local race and the schedule for all the activities that are part of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend — presented by Sara Lee Bakery Group. Now in its third year, the event encourages people to run, jog, walk or crawl across the finish line. The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend kicks off Friday, April 4 with a health and fitness expo at America’s Center. On Saturday, April 5, organizers host Family Day in Forest Park. Fitness events include the Mayor’s 5K Run/Walk — with Mayor Francis Slay participating — and the Children’s Fun Runs featuring a Diaper Dash, 50- & 100-yard dashes, and 1/2-mile run. Sunday, April 6 is Endurance Day. The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon will start and end at the Soldiers Memorial in downtown St. Louis. The course will once again run through several of the community’s unique neighborhoods, including Soulard, the Central West End, Clayton and University City. In addition to the traditional Marathon and Marathon Relay, organizers will introduce a Half Marathon. Also on Sunday, hundreds of elementary school students will complete the final 1.2 miles of the McBride & Son Read, Right & Run Marathon. This is the nation’s only fully integrated marathon for children. This year it expands to include students in kindergarten through eighth grades. From October up until race day, students participating in the program will read 26 books, perform 26 good deeds and run 26.2 miles. Middle school students will complete their marathon by running the 5K event on Saturday. RUN ST. LOUIS… FEEL LIKE A CHAMPION More than 3,500 runners participated in events associated with the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend last year. Organizers hope to boost that number to more than 6,000 in 2003. They ask St. Louisans who are thinking about running or walking a marathon or half marathon to consider staying home to support and experience their hometown race. "In a community that has achieved so much success when it comes to sports, there’s no reason why St. Louis can’t be home to a marathon that stands among the elite races nationwide," said Nancy Lieberman, president of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend. "To get there, we need our entire community — residents, businesses, and civic organizations — to play an active role." In addition, the St. Louis Marathon hopes to have the entire region focusing on the importance of fitness, which is one of the event’s major themes. "By participating in any one of the weekend events, no matter your age or ability, you can help make St. Louis a healthier community," Lieberman said. The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon has also been designated as a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society "Team in Training" race. Runners who join "Team in Training" will take part in a three- to five-month training program. At the same time they will raise money to help find a cure for those who live with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin’s disease. St. Louis Marathon organizers expect 40 to 70 athletes to run in the USA Women’s Marathon Championship. They will compete for $50,000 in prize money, with the winner taking home $15,000. In order to qualify to run in the national championship race, female athletes must achieve a marathon time of 3 hours, 5 minutes or less; a half marathon time of 1:30 or less; or a 10K time of 38 minutes, 30 seconds or less between Oct. 1, 2001 and March 1, 2003. The qualifying time for the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004 will be 2:50. The Trials will offer $250,000 in prize money and feature an anticipated 200 runners. Subject to qualifying times, the top three finishers from the race will represent the United States at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. "The Sports Commission is eager to see our local marathon flourish," said Sports Commission President Frank Viverito. "By hosting the 2003 Championship and the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials, we have a wonderful opportunity to put the St. Louis Marathon in the spotlight and elevate its profile nationally and internationally. In just its first two years, the event made extraordinary strides. We hope the presence of two prestigious races over the next two years can help take the St. Louis Marathon to the next level." Runners can register for any of the races affiliated with the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend online at www.stlouismarathon.com or call 314-727-0800 to obtain an entry form. |
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