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Olympic Hopefuls to Use SunTrust National Half Marathon as Trials Tune-Up
Elite field of female athletes to enter the National Half Marathon as a training race for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Trials in Boston

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (March 26, 2008) - The 2008 SunTrust National Marathon will play host to an elite field of Olympic hopefuls on Saturday, March 29, 2008. With the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials taking place in Boston on Sunday, April 20, the half-marathon course provides the perfect tune-up race to prepare these top women athletes for their Olympic Trials run.

Six female Olympic hopefuls will be competing in the half-marathon: Samia Akbar, Abby Dean, Susan Graham-Gray, Phebe Ko, Emily LeVan and Briana Whaley. Of the six, none have yet been members of the U.S. Olympic marathon team.

Each of the six athletes has incorporated the SunTrust National Half Marathon as a part of their training preparation to gear up for the Olympic Trials. The 13.1 mile course will provide runners with some challenging inclines along with beautiful scenery and lots of community encouragement. The event also gives each a sneak peak of some of their competition for the Trials in Boston.

Half-Marathon Personal Records:
Samia Akbar (VA), 1:13:12
Abby Dean (PA), 1:18
Susan Graham-Gray (PA), 1:21
Phebe Ko (MD), 1:20:49
Emily LeVan (ME), 1:20
Briana Whaley (VA), 1:19:04

All elite athletes have been invited to attend a press conference at the SunTrust National Marathon Health and Fitness Expo on Friday, March 28, 2008, at 3:00pm at the D.C. Armory. For more information on this media opportunity or to arrange for press credentials for the SunTrust National Marathon, please contact Kate Michael at kmichael@gwsportsalliance.com or call (202) 857-5946.

For more information on the race and the Olympic Trials, go to: NationalMarathon.com or http://bostontrials2008.com

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Boston Marathon to Air Live Locally and Nationally
WBZ-TV and VERSUS to again televise race

BOSTON - (March 25, 2008) - The Boston Athletic Association has announced that the 112th Boston Marathon will be televised live, wire-to-wire, both locally and nationally on Monday, April 21.

WBZ-TV (CBS owned-and-operated, Channel 4) will once again be providing live local coverage. Their broadcast will run from 8:00am (ET) until 3:00pm (ET). WBZ-TV, now a partner of the Boston Athletic Association for 28 years, will be the only local television station providing live wire-to-wire coverage.

VERSUS will once again televise the Boston Marathon for the fourth consecutive year. The telecast will air from 9:30am (ET) to 12:30pm (ET), making the Boston Marathon the only road race in the United States to have a complete, live, national telecast.

The 2008 Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 21, 2008, Patriots' Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The race will begin with the Elite Women's Start at 9:35am.

"We're excited to once again partner with WBZ-TV and VERSUS to make the Boston Marathon the only U.S. road race to air live, wire-to-wire, locally and nationally," said Guy Morse, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association. "Boston is one of the most prestigious races in the world, so it's fitting to have such respected outlets as television partners so that our race can be enjoyed by fans around Boston and across the country on April 21."

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial Services.

Media Contact: Jack Fleming, BAA, (617) 236-1652, x2627; fleming@baa.org

For more race information, visit: BostonMarathon.org

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Contact: Mike Burns, ChampionChip USA, (734) 665-7052 or mike@championchip.com

ChampionChip® Chosen by World Marathon Majors® for 2008
Reliability is paramount for world's most prestigious marathons

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - (March 25, 2008) - The five commercial marathons which comprise the World Marathon Majors®, the richest and most prestigious series of marathon races in the world, will rely on ChampionChip® timing for 2008. With a $1,000,000 series purse to be awarded to the overall points winners, plus millions more in prize and bonus money distributed by the individual events throughout the year, there is no room for error in timing and scoring.

"With nearly 14 years of real world timing experience behind us ChampionChip® is by far the most tested and trusted form of active sports timing," said Mike Burns, President of ChampionChip USA. "Nothing combines reliability with accuracy like ChampionChip®."

The five races in the World Marathon Majors - the Boston Marathon, Flora London Marathon, real,- Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon - had a combined total of 152,000 finishers in 2007, each one of them timed with a ChampionChip® transponder. From the lashing rains of Boston to the historic heat of Chicago, ChampionChip® equipment quietly recorded each finisher with little fanfare.

"It just works," said Burns. "It's one less worry for these race directors."

About ChampionChip® and how it works
ChampionChip® was founded in November 1993 in The Netherlands. Its automatic timing system was introduced in September 1994 at the Berlin Marathon. Over the past 14 years, ChampionChip® has consistently been the #1 choice of the world's best timers.

Utilizing the radio frequency identification system from Texas Instruments, which is the same technology used in security locks in cars or admission control in buildings, the ChampionChip® system comprises chips, mats and controller boxes that together collect the data that racers then see as results. Within each chip is a mini transponder and energizing coil housed in specially designed plastic casing that protects it in all weather conditions. Mats placed in strategic locations have send and receive antennas in them and are connected to a yellow controller box at the side of the course, which contains electronics and batteries. Each chip contains a unique identification number so every time an athlete steps on the mat, the energizing coil, stimulated by the eletromagnetic field created by the send antenna in the mat, produces an electric current that powers the chip. The transponder transmits the unique ID number to the receive antenna. The number and corresponding time are stored in the yellow box and transferred to a timing computer. The whole process takes approximately 60 milliseconds.

Since 1997, ChampionChip USA has been providing this technology to the U.S. market. Today, through a network of more than 70 professional timers in the USA, ChampionChip® equipment scores more than 3,500 events annually in the United States. For more information, go to: ChampionChipUSA.com

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Eugene Marathon to Feature Green Reusable Goodie Bags in 2008

EUGENE, Ore. - (March 25, 2008) - The Eugene Marathon - set for Sunday, May 4 - will feature reusable goodie bags for their 2008 races. This is a huge step in the marathon's goal to become the first running event in Lane County to go "green".

"It was natural for us to sponsor the first green running event's 'Green Goodie' bags," said Michael Maher, President of Canterbury Naturals. "Being responsible stewards of our environment and community is a core element in our corporate mission statement."

Did you know?
* The petroleum used to make 18 plastic bags could drive a car for 1 mile.
* The EPA estimates that it takes a plastic bag over 500 years to decay in a landfill.
* The average person's plastic bag legacy will be 4.175 million years.
* The worldwide consumption of plastic bags is over 500 billion, over 1 million per minute.

The green goodie bags are in thanks to the support of several sponsors. Platinum sponsors for the goodie bags are Canterbury Naturals and Paul's Bike Shop. Gold sponsors include Citi Smith Barney, Fred Meyer, Springfield Creamery, the Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County and the Oregon Heart and Vascular Institute.

Runners can register for the race at: EugeneMarathon.com

Media Contact: Richard Maher, (877) 345-2230

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org | www.RunningUSA.org