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Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein to Test Olympic Fitness at NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE
Americans James Carney, Fasil Bizuneh, Zoila Gómez, Colleen De Reuck also entered

NEW YORK - (July 9, 2008) - U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein will return to New York for the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE on Sunday, July 27, in his final tune-up race for the Olympic Games marathon, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Ritzenhein headlines a stellar group of Americans entered, including USA Half-Marathon champion James Carney and rising distance star Fasil Bizuneh on the men's side, and U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon fourth place finisher Zoila Gómez and four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck on the women's side. Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the male and female winners each receiving $10,000.

"Dathan elevates every race he runs in," Wittenberg said. "As we continue to build the stature of the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, it's a coup to add Dathan to what we expect to be a robust professional field. In an Olympic year with a race that has an international field, it will be fun for New Yorkers to cheer for the red, white and blue."

Ritzenhein, 25, of Eugene, OR, punched his ticket to Beijing with a spectacular performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon in Central Park, finishing in second place last November. He continued his success into the 2008 Olympic year with an early-season victory at the USA Cross Country Championships in February; however, injuries have slowed Ritzenhein since then. Lingering soreness in his foot forced him to withdraw from two New York races: the Central Park Challenge in March and the Healthy Kidney 10K in May.

Ritzenhein, a two-time Olympian, was cleared to resume full training at the beginning of June. As a part of his buildup to the Olympic marathon on August 24, he competed in the 10,000 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field on Friday in Eugene, finishing eighth.

"I am excited to return to the Big Apple for the New York City Half-Marathon presented by NIKE," Ritzenhein said. "Each NYRR event I have contested, whether cross county, road or the marathon, has provided fantastic competition and thrilling races. The Half should serve as an excellent final test, in terms of both the elite field and weather conditions, before the Olympic Games marathon in Beijing."

Along with Ritzenhein, two top American men are coming off strong 10,000m performances this past weekend in Eugene. Both Carney and Bizuneh challenged for a spot on the Olympic team at various points in the race; however, neither was able to crack the top three. Carney made a strong bid for third in the race's second half, but eventually finished sixth. After running near the lead through the first 5000 meters, Bizuneh finished 15th.

Carney, 30, of Boulder, CO, captured the USA Half-Marathon title in January and was fourth in the Central Park Challenge in March. Bizuneh, 28, of Flagstaff, AZ - still looking for a breakthrough victory - has notched eight top-five finishes in USA Championship races in the last two years. Also included in the field will be Fernando Cabada, 26, of Boulder, CO, who set the U.S. record in the 25K in 2006.

On the women's side, Gómez, 29, of Alamosa, CO, set a personal best by more than a minute and a half at the women's marathon trials in April, just missing a spot on the Olympic team with her fourth place finish. In addition to her professional running career, the Mexican-born Gómez spends much of her time working with underserved kids in her community. De Reuck, 44, of Boulder, CO, was the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials champion. An injury kept the South African native, who became a U.S. citizen in 2000, from competing in the 2008 marathon trials.

In its third year, the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE continues to attract the world's leading professional athletes, in addition to a sold-out field of more than 10,000 recreational runners from around the world. More than 19,000 people applied to run in the race. On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE will take runners on a loop through Central Park, down Seventh Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and along the expansive West Side Highway to Battery Park in the heart of the city's financial district, finishing with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

New York Road Runners is working in collaboration with the Mayor's Office, City of New York Parks & Recreation, the New York City Sports Commission, the New York City Police Department, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Sanitation, the New York City Fire Department, and all the other city agencies that help throughout the year to produce its world-class events.

For more information, visit: NYRR.org

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NBC Sports & World Championship Sports Network Partner to Launch Universal Sports
Universal Sports creates multi-platform, year-round destination for athletes and Olympic sports fans

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES - NBC Sports, a division of NBC Universal, and World Championship Sports Network have joined forces to create Universal Sports. Universal Sports will combine NBCU's programming and production expertise and promotional power with WCSN's leading online destination for Olympic sports plus its growing television network to create the preeminent multi-platform destination for Olympic sports programming. The announcement was made by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and Leo Hindery, Jr., Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners, the controlling shareholder of WCSN. Universal Sports will include both a television network and a robust online platform UniversalSports.com.

"Universal Sports will provide a terrific year-round home to almost all Olympic sports and the athletes who give our viewers such compelling stories," said Ebersol.

"We invested in WCSN because we believe that Olympic sports have a large and passionate following and other than NBCU, WCSN was the most responsible steward for this audience," said Hindery. "It is a privilege and delight to see WCSN and NBCU now come together as partners, and the clear winners today are the fans of Olympic sports and the very sports themselves."

As part of the transaction, NBCU will become a significant shareholder in WCSN and will jointly control WCSN with InterMedia Partners. The WCSN management team, including Chairman and CEO Claude Ruibal and President Carlos Silva, will continue to manage the company.

"WCSN is the leading rights holder of Olympic sports programming in between each Olympic Games offering fans comprehensive coverage of skiing, swimming, track and field, gymnastics and more than 40 other Olympic sports disciplines," said Ruibal. "Under the new Universal Sports name, and with NBCU as a partner, the combined business will be the undisputed home of Olympic sports across all distribution platforms and will provide these sports and their athletes a real opportunity to get the consistent exposure they deserve across the USA."

WCSN will rebrand itself as Universal Sports prior to the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and had coverage of the recent U.S. Olympic Trials. NBCU will use the promotional power of its Olympic coverage to drive Universal Sports' online and television reach. With the combined rights and archives of WCSN and NBC Sports, Universal Sports will represent a new standard for coverage of Olympic sports in the U.S. expanding the availability and growing popularity of these great sports and athletes. In addition to serving Olympic fans everywhere, Universal Sports provides a year-round destination for the elite and everyday athletes who compete, hope to compete and admire those who compete.

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City Running Tours: Now Running in Austin, Texas
Extensive set of new routes share the past, present and future of Texas' most dynamic city

AUSTIN, Texas - (July 1, 2008) - City Running Tours, the premier provider of guided running tours across the U.S., has announced the availability of one-on-one and group runs in Austin, Texas. The ideal summer activity, City Running Tours provides one-on-one, or group, running tours that highlight the best a city has to offer, including the Brooklyn Bridge (New York), the Sears Tower (Chicago), The White House (Washington, D.C.), the Barrier Islands (Charleston) or Mission Bay (San Diego).

Unlike Houston, Dallas or San Antonio, Austin still has a wonderful "small town" feel, with lakes, hills, open spaces and greenery that folks seldom associate with Texas. Austin also enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year, making an ideal location for running year round. And with routes to the state capital building, around Lady Bird Lake Trail, and the rugged/remote Barton Creek Green Belt, City Running Tours can show runners firsthand why the local catchphrase is "Keep Austin Weird!"

"Austin has so much to offer," said Russell Secker, Manager, Austin, City Running Tours. "Music, art, food, history, technology - it all comes together here in Austin. I really love this city and can't think of a better place to go running. Whether you're visiting for business or vacation, get your day started with City Running Tours - you can load up, guilt-free, on Austin's award-winning BBQ afterwards!"

City Running Tours offers set tours as well as customized runs 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. City Running Tours guides pick runners up at their hotel and provide factual information along the route. Guides also provide subway / transportation fare (where applicable), water and a camera for taking photos along the way. In addition to providing interesting facts and figures on sights along the route, all City Running Tours guides are experience runners and capable of meeting an individual's fitness ability or specific training regimen.

"We continue to see a large influx of international tourists in all of our cities," said Michael Gazaleh, Founder and President, City Running Tours. "Additionally, Americans are more focused on exercising and more conscious of how certain activities effect our environment. City Running Tours is the perfect way to get in some sightseeing and exercising, and is a very environment-friendly tourism alternative. All of these factors have lead to an increased interest in guided city running tours, and we're happy to add Austin as our newest destination."

To schedule a tour or for more information, go to: CityRunningTours.com

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Inaugural American Odyssey Relay to Bring Teams in Touch with History April 24-25
Gettysburg start to D.C. landmarks finish highlights "Run Where the Locals Run" course; "early registration" deadline of July 31, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Running and history will cross picturesque paths across three states, several Civil War battlefields and some of our nation's capital's most famous memorials as part of the inaugural American Odyssey Relay Run Adventure, a unique team relay event to be held April 24-25, 2009.

Spanning approximately 200 miles, the race will start in historic Gettysburg, where some of the most famous battles of the War Between the States were fought. Runners will encounter several covered bridges and streams in the early going before crossing the famous Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland. It is in the town of Boonsboro that runners will then experience a different kind of history-making event - the first-ever Odyssey Oasis, a mid-race festival offering runners some much needed food & drink, showers and other amenities. This unique gathering spot will give all participants the rare opportunity to interact with their "other" teammates (those riding in the other van), along with all of the runners.

The course continues directly through the celebrated Antietam Battlefield and then onto the C & O Canal, the Appalachian Trail and through Harpers Ferry in West Virginia before passing Riley's Lock and entering Great Falls Park in Potomac, Md. Runners will then head toward the historic home stretch, pointing to the finish of a lifetime amidst many of the landmarks that manifest the magnificence of our nation's capital. Teams will wrap up their multi-state adventure against the beautiful backdrop of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Kennedy Center, with the finish line located adjacent to the FDR Memorial in the shadows of the Washington Monument.

This inaugural American Odyssey Relay race is limited to 150 teams (each consisting of 12 runners). Each participant will run three separate legs of the 36-segment course, and each team will be equipped with two vans to transport teammates throughout the race. It is expected the winning team will finish in under 24 hours, although many teams are likely to take between 30 and 36 hours to complete the course.

"We've spent close to a year constructing a course that will be incredibly scenic, safe and simple to follow," said AOR Race Director Bob Fleshner. "Whether you've done other relays or this will be your first, you'll absolutely love running where the locals run."

Teams will not only experience a remarkable run-down of American history, but they will be doing their part to help others in need. Part of the proceeds from the event will go to The Wellness Community-DC, a charity devoted to helping people affected by cancer.

Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers as well as to those with the best team name, best costumes and best van decorations. The course was designed from starting point to finish line with the help of experienced area runners, thus creating the opportunity to "run where the locals run."

Teams are encouraged to sign up immediately to ensure they secure one of the 150 spots. Any group that registers at AmericanOdysseyRelay.com prior to the "Early Registration" deadline of July 31, 2008 will receive one-of-a-kind inaugural American Odyssey Relay long-sleeve t-shirts for each of their runners.

For further info, please contact AOR Race Director Bob Fleshner, bob@americanodysseyrelay.com

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