Carmel Marathon Weekend returns for third annual event with new relay, partners, and incentives

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Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent named as official charity partner

The Carmel Road Racing Group announced today that the Carmel Marathon Weekend will return for its third annual event on April 20, 2013. In addition to the Carmel Marathon, Carmel Half Marathon presented by Runners Forum, KeyBank 8K and St.Vincent Carmel 1-Mile Family Fitness Walk, organizers have responded to participant feedback by adding the Marathon Relay to the event held in picturesque Carmel, Ind.

The Marathon Relay, held on the same course as the Carmel Marathon, will give teams of two, three or four runners the chance to win award categories for men, women, co-ed, and costume. The relay will consist of four legs, with distances of 6.9, 8.1, 7.0 and 4.2 miles, for a grand total of 26.2 miles. All participants will receive a medal with the inaugural Carmel Marathon Relay design. Relay participants may be as young as 10 years old, making it a great event for families.

The Carmel Road Racing Group also announced Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent as the official charity partner for the 2013 Carmel Marathon Weekend. The hospital, opened in 2003 in central Indiana, offers a full range of pediatric services, state-of-the-art facilities, and more than 300 pediatric specialists and subspecialists. Through this partnership, the Carmel Marathon Weekend will donate race medals and games for patients at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent. In addition to monetary contributions, race participants will have the opportunity to donate race shirts for special quilts to be made for the hospital’s patients.

“We’re honored to have Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent on board with us for 2013,” said Todd Oliver, president of Carmel Road Racing Group and race director for the Carmel Marathon Weekend. “Their expertise and focus on providing extraordinary care reaches far beyond the walls of the hospital and can be seen throughout the community. We hope to help them make a difference in the lives of patients from our home of Carmel and from around the country.”

The second annual event on April 21, 2012 received more than 3,000 registrations, including participants from 41 states and four countries. The date change from June at the inaugural event to April in 2012 proved to be popular with participants, with cooler race day temperatures contributing to five new course records and countless individual personal bests. Elite runners Jesse Davis, Leah Thorvilson, Mike Popejoy, Mariska Kramer, and Rosie Edwards established new course records for the men’s and women’s marathon, men’s and women’s half marathon, and women’s 8K, respectively. They joined other elites from all over the world vying for the cash incentives set in place for each new course record.

The Carmel Marathon Weekend will add additional incentives for returning participants with a special, second medal in addition to their finisher’s medal for the third annual event. To be eligible for the “Keeping the Streak Alive” commemorative medal, participants must have finished a race event in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“We have found that runners love medals, so much so that it can really be a motivating factor in their decision to run a race,” Oliver said. “As a way to say thank you to those who return year after year, the ‘streaker medal’ will be a visual reminder of their dedication and determination once they cross the finish line.”

The course starts and finishes near Carmel’s impressive Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts. The Carmel Marathon Weekend course also takes advantage of the city’s many popular areas, passing through the Carmel Arts and Design District, Old Town Carmel and Carmel Clay Parks. The nearby Center Green provides the perfect place for participants to relax at the post-race celebration with fellow runners and walkers.

The Carmel Marathon, a certified Boston qualifier event, is the only full distance marathon currently held in the prosperous and growing suburb located just north of Indianapolis. The fast, flat courses for both the marathon and half marathon have been officially certified with USA Track and Field.

Runners Forum and KeyBank will return in 2013 as presenting sponsors for the half marathon and 8k races, respectively. St.Vincent Carmel Hospital will continue to as the official medical partner of the event, as well as the new presenting sponsor for the 1-mile walk. In addition, partners Tom Wood Automotive Group, Indiana Vein Specialists, Miller64, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation, Carmel City Center, Hamilton County Sports Authority, POWERADE, Dr. Michael Helms, Salon 01, Current in Carmel and Indiana National Guard will continue with their support of the local race.

“With the support of our partners, the community and past participants, we’re ready to build on the momentum of the past two years and continue to make the Carmel Marathon Weekend a successful and positive event for everyone involved,” Oliver said. “We’re excited our event is quickly becoming a ‘must-do’ race for runners around the country, and we’re working hard to keep our participants wanting to come back to Carmel year after year.”

Early bird pricing for the 2013 Carmel Marathon Weekend is available through Dec. 31, 2012. For more information and to register, please visitwww.CarmelMarathon.com.


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