Running USA wire 20, March 10, 2011

National championship prize purse of $58,000 plus Equalizer Bonus for first runner across the finish line

INDIANAPOLIS - (March 10, 2011) - Defending champions Mo Trafeh (Duarte, Calif.) and Katie McGregor (Minneapolis, Minn.) return to Jacksonville, Florida to defend their USA 15K crowns Saturday, March 12 at the 34th Gate River Run, the country's largest 15K with more than 13,000 finishers last year. This year marks the 18th year that the event has hosted the national championships.

Multi-national champion McGregor, 33, will face a field that includes two-time USA 15K champion and three-time Olympan Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), who started her 2011 USA Running Circuit campaign with a win at the USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston on January 29.

On the men's side, Trafeh, 25, this year's U.S. half-marathon champion, returns to Jacksonville where he dominated the field last year with a 54 second win. Looking to challenge Trafeh this year will be 2008 USA 15K champion Andrew Carlson (Minneapolis, Minn.); 2008 Olympian Jorge Torres (Boulder, Colo.); 2010 USA 20K champion Sean Quigley (Philadelphia, Pa.); 2010 USA 10 Mile champion Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and two-time U.S. Cross Country Team member Scott Bauhs (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.).

The USA 15K Championships will be streamed live beginning at 8:20am EST in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

The USA 15K Championships are the third stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC), and features a national championship prize purse of $58,000. The men's and women's U.S. champion will each earn $12,000 at Gate River.

This year's race will once again feature the Equalizer Bonus, awarding $5000 to the first male or female to cross the finish line. The top 25 seeded women will start 6 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. In seven editions, Deena Kastor, in 2007, is the only woman to win the Equalizer Bonus.

Additional bonuses of $10,000 will be offered for a World record (41:13 - men; 46:28 - women), $5000 for a U.S. record (42:22 - men; 47:15 - women) and $3000 for a course record (42:22 - men; 47:15 - women).

The 2011 USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features U.S. long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided more $9 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2011 USA 15K Championships, visit: www.usatf.org

International field, QCA's fastest and RAGBRAI finish to highlight 37th edition

BETTENDORF, Iowa - (March 10, 2011) - The Quad-City Times Bix 7 will be the place to be in more ways than one this July. The 7 mile road race will again welcome professional fields for both men and women while continuing to salute local stars. Details were "rolled out" by Bix 7 officials today at the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel in Bettendorf. The 37th Bix 7, a Midwest summer tradition, will be held Saturday, July 30, 2011.

Besides the return of international fields, race officials will be saluting the top men and women who prove to be the fastest in the Quad City Area. Both awards are sponsored by Davenport-based Internet retailer VictoryStore.com. The top male finisher will receive the Gregg Newell Award, named after the late Davenport runner who was the first and only Quad City resident to win the race in 1979.

Also, this year the fastest female will receive the Eloise Caldwell Award. Named for Davenport resident Eloise Caldwell, she was a nationally ranked Masters runner, one of only two women in the first Bix 7 in 1975, and a Bix Masters champion during four of the first six years the race was held. She and her husband Phil are also long-time volunteers for the race committee.

Finally, officials with the Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) have announced that this year's event will conclude in Davenport on the day of the race. Bix 7 Race Director Ed Froehlich, in his 32nd year guiding the event, feels the ingredients are there for another memorable last full weekend in July.

"The Bix 7 has deep roots in our community and the running community at large," said Froehlich, who was recognized this past December with the Allan Steinfeld Award from USA Track & Field for lifetime achievement in men's long distance running. "We are always humbled when great athletes from here and around the world continue putting Davenport, Iowa on their July calendars.

"Our great sponsors have made it possible to welcome world class fields," Froehlich continued. "But, it's people like Gregg Newell, Eloise Caldwell and Nancy Kapheim along with our many volunteers that placed, and help keep, the Bix 7 among the elite of running events in the United States. I can't wait for people to run, walk and ride our way this July."

Applications are being mailed now in addition to availability at locations throughout the Quad City Area. Also registration is available at www.bix7.com with a valid Visa or MasterCard. To stay connected, check out www.facebook.com - Search Quad-City Times Bix 7. Registrations will only be handled through the website, via mailed printed applications or those dropped off at the Quad-City Times building, 500 E Third Street, Davenport.

Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon becomes the World's Largest Nighttime Running Event; more than 30,000 runners expected on Sunday, December 4, 2011

LAS VEGAS - (March 8, 2011) - The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, a musical format that revolutionized the running industry, has surged to the front of the pack once again by announcing the first ever nighttime start for the 2011 Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon to Benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

Runners will span across all eight lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard on Sunday night, December 4, exclusively shutting down the neon-lit Strip in epic fashion and instantly becoming the World's Largest Nighttime Running EventTM. The marathon will begin at 4:00pm and the half-marathon will start at dusk, approximately 5:30pm. Each race will have a limited capacity of entrants and an enforced time limit to complete the distance.

A special website dedicated to the night race has been launched at Stripatnight.com, featuring an exclusive 48-hour registration promotion. Regular event registration for both the marathon and half-marathon will reopen to the general public on May 31, 2011.

"It has truly been a feat to close down Las Vegas Boulevard on a Sunday morning each of the past two years and now we are doing the impossible by closing down the entire Strip at night, taking this event to the next level," said Peter Englehart, CEO of Competitor Group, which acquired the 44-year-old marathon in 2008. "We believe the unique experience that we're going to deliver on the Strip at night makes this race so much different than any other and our goal is to put this event on the global 'bucket list' of races for runners around the world. A Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on the Las Vegas Strip at night, what could be better than that?"

Las Vegas' signature running event was rebranded in 2009 as part of the nationwide Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series and is managed by San Diego-based Competitor Group, annually drawing over 28,000 entrants from all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Last year, event weekend generated a total economic impact of over $91 million and filled more than 63,000 hotel room nights locally.

"Las Vegas is known for its entertainment and by moving the marathon to an evening start, we will have a cast of more than 30,000 runners starring in one of the hottest shows in town," said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. "For the competitors, they will have an unforgettable experience of running along Las Vegas Boulevard under the lights. For fans and spectators, they will have a chance to witness this massive spectacle along the course on both the sidewalks and in the many bars, restaurants and clubs that oversee the Las Vegas Strip."

In addition to live bands performing at each mile along the course, the Las Vegas event is renowned for hundreds of people running dressed as Elvis, and every year includes a run-through wedding chapel where runners in love tie the knot during the race and a two-day Health & Fitness Expo.

As the event's official charity, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America will return with the Team Challenge half-marathon training program. Since 2009, more than 1,800 Team Challenge runners have raised nearly $8 million though the event.

"We could not be more excited that the Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas has moved to a nighttime start," said Staci Brown, National Director of Team Challenge. "After raising critical research dollars for digestive diseases and training over 16-weeks, there is no better motivation than to celebrate your accomplishment under the neon lights of the most exhilarating street in America."

For more information about Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas, visit Competitor.com or call (800) 311-1255.

#1 Off-Road Marathon in the World features 23 miles of dirt trails and 1,600-foot elevation climb; American Trail Championship finale

The Catalina Marathon will celebrate its 34th edition on Saturday, March 12, 2011, beginning at 7:00am. The event has been rated the #1 Off-Road Marathon in the World. 1,000 athletes are expected to toe the line in Two Harbors to race through the island to Avalon for the finish festivities.

This year, both male and female winners of the Buffalo Run Half Marathon will be there to lead the Catalina Marathon at the start line. The run is comprised of 23 miles on dirt trails, which athletes often share with the Island's native buffalos. These trails are usually inaccessible to the general public, but runners are given the special treat of running this majestic course.

This race has also been called Runner's World's "Cult Marathon of the United States." Marathoners return year after year to brave the numerous hills and 1,600-foot elevation climb. The hard work is rewarded with amazing views and gorgeous wildlife.

This year's field includes athletes from 36 different states, and even a few international competitors, including 16 from Canada, Afghanistan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Along with this weekend's full 26.2-mile race, the Catalina Marathon offers a 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Kids Run. The 10K, 5K and 1K Kids Run will take place in Avalon starting things off at 8:15am.

The Catalina Marathon is also the final leg of the American Trail Championship, a trail series that includes January's first Catalina run, the Buffalo Run Half Marathon and February's run, the Rose Bowl Half Marathon. The combined times of the Buffalo Run, Rose Bowl Half Marathon and Catalina Marathon will determine an American Trail champion.

Jack Caress, the owner of Pacific Sports LLC, says of the event, "The Catalina Marathon is the best trail marathon in the United States. We always enjoy bringing participants to the island from throughout the U.S. and many foreign countries in our fourteenth year of owning and producing this great marathon. It's a great tradition at one of the most amazing venues in the world."

For information, questions or to register for the Catalina Marathon, visit www.PacificSportsLLC.com or call (714) 978-1528.