FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Philadelphia Marathon is Opening
3,000 Registration Lottery Slots for NYC Marathoners
PHILADELPHIA (November 6, 2012) – Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced that
the sold-out Philadelphia Marathon will be opened for an additional 3,000
race participants who were registered, but unable to compete, in the
cancelled 2012 New York City Marathon.
New York City race competitors can enter a lottery to register for the 19th
annual Philadelphia Marathon, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 7th at 9 a.m. EST
and ending Thursday, November, 8th at 5 p.m. EST. Mayor Nutter stresses
that the offer is available only to marathoners previously registered for
the November 4th New York City Marathon.
"In the wake of Hurricane Sandy and the many challenges created by it, we
are honored to welcome New York City marathon participants to
Philadelphia," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "We understand that marathoners
have invested a great deal of time, training and dedication to prepare, and
so we’ve decided that adding up to 3,000 competitors is something we can do
to support the running community."
Mary Wittenberg, CEO of New York Road Runners, which produces the New York
City Marathon, said today, "We are grateful to the Philadelphia Marathon
and Mayor Nutter for their generosity in inviting runners who were affected
by the cancellation of the ING NYC marathon.
The registration fee for the registered NYC Marathon runners is $200. Half
of the registration fee will be donated to the Hurricane Relief Fund for
the American Red Cross, while the remaining funds cover additional
Philadelphia Marathon supplies and resources needed to accommodate the
extra marathoners.
Eligible New York marathoners interested in applying for the Philadelphia
Marathon should visit www.philadelphiamarathon.com. To ensure fairness, a
computerized lottery system will randomly select up to 3,000 New York City
Marathon competitors to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon. Lottery
selection will take place immediately after the Thursday, November 8th
deadline (5 p.m. EST), and those chosen will be notified by e-mail.
"The Philadelphia Marathon sold out on October 1st with the largest field
of runners in our history," said Melanie Johnson, Philadelphia Marathon
Executive Director. "We are sympathetic to those who were unable to
participate in the NYC Marathon. In order to add any new runners, we
created a plan that increased our capabilities to include the largest
number of possible registrants. It was a careful decision that took into
account many factors such as the capacity of the course to accommodate the
increased field of competitors, maintaining the quality of experience, and
the turn-around time to secure additional supplies and resources. "
Last Friday, Nov. 2, Philadelphia Marathon organizers extended an
invitation to New York City Marathon registrants to sign up through
Philadelphia Marathon’s charity partners. About 350 did so through the
Philadelphia Marathon website, using all the remaining charity openings.
Mayor Nutter and race officials also encourage the general public to
donate to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. To make a donation, contact the
American Red Cross Disaster Relief or visit Generocity, a Philadelphia
Marathon fundraising platform partner, at
www.generocity.org/philadelphia-marathon. Click on "Start a Fundraiser" to
create a personalized online fundraiser to easily invite family and friends
to give. When prompted, runners can select "American Red Cross" as the
benefiting nonprofit organization.
Devastation from Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of the New York
City Marathon for the first time in its 42-year-history. Friday’s
unprecedented race termination affected nearly 50,000 runners and 2 million
spectators.
Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, held annually the weekend before
Thanksgiving, attracts 30,000 runners and 60,000 spectators to Philadelphia
to experience "The Best Time of Your Life." Race Weekend features The
Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, November 18; the Rothman
Institute 8K and Kids Fun Run on Saturday, November 17; and a free two-day
Health & Fitness Expo Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17. Race
participants pass many of Philadelphia's famous attractions on the swift
and scenic USATF-certified course, which is a Boston qualifier. Take the
first step to experiencing 26.2 miles of fun, beauty, history and
excitement by visiting www.philadelphiamarathon.com.
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