Press Release - The Ocala Marathon - 6/29/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

           LifeSouth brings the Kid's Marathon to the
        Ocala Marathon weekend set for January 30-31, 2010

OCALA, FL - June 29, 2009 -The Citrus Road Runners Club and LifeSouth 
Community Blood Centers announced the addition of the "Kid's Marathon 
Program" to the Ocala Marathon events. The Marathon traditionally included 
the Full Marathon (26.2 miles), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), and 5K (3.1 
miles) races on a single Sunday. This year it will expand over two days 
with the Kid's Marathon and 5K events occurring on Saturday, January 30th 
with the Full and Half Marathon events on Sunday, January 31st.

"We appreciate that LifeSouth realizes the potential Ocala offers to help 
them expand their Kid's Marathon Program," said Chris Moling, Race Director 
and Club President. "This is an important addition to an event that already 
brings positive economic impact to the city as we showcase our renowned 
Horse Country to runners from across the nation." 

The "LifeSouth Kid's Marathon" recruits children from local schools to sign 
up for a program that will aid them in completing a Full Marathon distance, 
one mile at a time. Each child will participate in a series of one mile 
runs at their school until they complete 25 miles and then run their last 
1.2 miles during the Marathon race weekend. Each participant will receive 
their very own Kid's Marathon finisher's medal. "This is a fantastic 
program that helps Kid's develop a healthy lifestyle" said Moling.

Event weekend kicks off Saturday, January 30th, with the 5K and Kid's 
Marathon events, followed by an expanded Health & Fitness Expo at the Ocala 
Hilton where all participants pick up their race packets. The expo will 
feature many running and fitness retailers, exhibits and interactive 
clinics. The evening finishes with a pre-race Pasta Dinner hosted at the 
Hilton. Sunday opens at 7:00 a.m. with the start of 10th running of the 
Ocala Marathon, followed by the Half Marathon at 7:30 a.m.

Spectators are welcome to come out and cheer on the athletes as they 
challenge themselves to complete the 26.2 mile journey. The races feature 
many aid stations along the course, rooting for race participants all the 
way to the finish line. There will be music and refreshments following each 
race and of course, some great southern hospitality. 


For more information about the Ocala Marathon Weekend, log on to 
www.ocalamarathon.com.

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