FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Kalan
The Los Angeles Marathon
310-444-5544 x306
Olympian Rod Dixon to Direct Roadrunners Training Program
for the Los Angeles Marathon
Program expands to a third location in the Inland Empire
LOS ANGELES - (August 31, 2005) - Organizers of the City of Los Angeles
Marathon announced plans for its official training program, the
Roadrunners, which will kick-off on September 10 in training for the 21st
annual City of Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda on March 19, 2006.
This year, the popular Roadrunners training program in Los Angeles and
Ventura has expanded to a third location in the Inland Empire. Rod Dixon
has been brought on board as Director of Training. Dixon, a 1972 Olympic
bronze medalist whose come from behind win at the 1983 New York City
Marathon is one of the most memorable in history, will build on the legacy
of Roadrunners' success by offering "professional marathon training for the
everyday athlete." He will bring in such legendary marathon runners as Bill
Rodgers, Frank Shorter and Lorraine Moller, along with experts in training
and nutrition. Pat Connelly also returns for his 16th year as a coach.
The Los Angeles Roadrunners meet every Saturday morning at Westminster
Avenue School in Venice at 7:00am. In 2005, the program attracted over
2,000 athletes who embarked on the 28 week, 5 day/week training program,
with 99% achieving their goal of finishing the Los Angeles Marathon. The
Los Angeles Roadrunners training program includes 20 running and walking
pace groups, and the weekly group runs are fully supported with water,
Gatorade and fruit. Participants will be provided with a training manual,
in-training T-shirt and weekly lectures.
The Ventura Roadrunners meet at 7:30 every Saturday morning at San
Buenaventura State Beach. Eileen and Ed Cohen will return as the Running
and Walking Coaches for the fourth year in a row. Between the two of them,
they have participated in 42 marathons, including a combination of 20 L.A.
Marathons. In 2005, the Ventura Roadrunners had a 100% completion rate in
the L.A. Marathon. Sign-ups and the first day of training is September 10.
The newly established Inland Empire Roadrunners group will meet every
Saturday morning at Butterfield Park in Chino Hills at 7:00. The runners
will be divided into pace groups, with all pace group leaders working under
the supervision of Head Coach Stephen Sumner. Sumner is Head Coach for the
Pacers Running Club and Glendora High School Girls' Cross Country.
Registration for all three locations is available online at
LARoadRunners.com or starting on September 10, the first day of
orientation. The cost of Roadrunners training is $75 and only $50 for
participants who register for the L.A. Marathon at the same time. For more
information, call (310) 444-5544.
The Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda, is the largest marathon held
in California, the fourth largest in the country and the seventh largest in
the world. It is expected to draw more than 25,000 runners from 50 states
and 100 countries in 2006. In total, event day will include more than
45,000 participants for the 26.2 mile run, the Acura L.A. Bike Tour and the
Emerald Nuts 5k Run/Walk. Registration for all three events is now open.
Since its inception, the L.A. Marathon has raised more than $25 million for
local charities by encouraging participants to run for a cause. Once again,
the L.A. Marathon promises to deliver what has become known as the "Million
Dollar Morning," as 50 charities will benefit from the anticipated $2.5
million raised by runners who complete the 26.2-mile run.
The 2006 Los Angeles Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, will once
again be televised live on NBC4 and Telemundo 52 and via the World Wide Web
courtesy of NBC4. The Webcast enables a global audience to experience
NBC4's live broadcast of the marathon in real-time by logging onto NBC4.tv
or by linking through www.LAMarathon.com.
In addition to American Honda Motor Co., Inc., marathon sponsors include
American Airlines, NBC4, Telemundo 52, Saucony and Emerald Nuts. To date,
more than 375,000 runners and walkers have participated in the L.A.
Marathon. For more information or to register for L.A. Marathon XXI, visit
www.LAMarathon.com or call (310) 444-5544.
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