Running USA wire 103, December 16, 2009

Inaugural Town Hall Meeting "Running: Setting the Pace for a Healthier America" features The Biggest Loser winner Ali Vincent

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (December 16, 2009) - Running USA 2010: The Industry Conference, set for January 31 to February 2 at the renowned La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, will offer for the hundreds of attendees a diverse spectrum of speakers, breakout sessions and social gatherings designed to educate, motivate, entertain and inspire. This year's theme for the "must-attend" conference is "Meeting Challenging Times".

"Like past conferences, Running USA 2010 will have something for everybody from inspirational speakers to educational breakout sessions to networking opportunities to the spectacular Southern California setting. For our 7th industry conference, the inaugural Town Hall Meeting will be the centerpiece as panelists and attendees discuss the collective leadership role that our sport can play in reducing America's growing obesity rate as well as improving the country's general health and fitness," said Susan Weeks, Running USA CEO.

Town Hall Meeting - Running: Setting the Pace for a Healthier America
* moderator Toni Reavis, TV commentator and running journalist
* Ali Vincent, first female winner of The Biggest Loser show, author of "Believe It, Be It" and runner (left, credit Designer Whey)
* Anne Audain, multi-Olympian, Women's Fitness Celebration race founder and author of "Uncommon Heart"
* Steve Baskin, executive marketer, former Head of Strategic Sponsorships ING Americas and runner

Confirmed Running USA 2010 speakers include: Universal Sports Chairman and CEO Claude Ruibal; Competitor Group's COO / Director Scott Dickey; Sarah Reinertsen, the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, and Boaz Rauchwerger, founder and president of Boaz Power Corp., a high-performance consulting firm. Also, Barkley's Vice President of PR and Social Media Analyst Jeff Risley, who garnered the highest ratings from last year's conference, returns with new insights and information to share about social media.

Additionally, Valerie Bushey, Executive Director of the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), will speak at Tuesday's Leadership Luncheon.

Breakout sessions also include three learning tracks: business, events and youth.

Special Events
* Welcome reception
* Trailblazer Luncheon and Award
* Cocktail reception
* Running USA Hall of Champions Dinner and Auction
* Inaugural Training Group Development Award
* Sponsor expo with more than 30 companies
* Morning runs
* Evening in downtown Carlsbad

The following Running USA 2010 sponsors make the conference a success:

PRESENTING: Active.com, Ashworth Awards and Leslie Jordan
WORLD: ING, MapMyRun.com and MarathonFoto
AMERICAN: Athlinks, Competitor Group, MYLAPS and Universal Sports
GOLD: AFM Inc., Britten Banners, Brooks, ChronoTrack, City of Virginia Beach, IPICO Sports and Runner's World Media Group
SILVER: Electric City Printing, J-chip and Maxwell Medals
BRONZE: Always Advancing, Green Layer, Marathon Printing, Morris Magnets, Racetrackers, SweatVac, WearYourNumber.com and Women's Running Magazine

Register today for Running USA 2010 powered by Active.com. The conference rate of $529 for members / $729 non-members is available until Thursday, December 31, 2009. On-line registration, hotel, travel and other information including the schedule and speakers for Running USA 2010 is available at: http://runningusa.org/programs/conference

About Running USA
Running USA advances, serves, promotes and celebrates the sport of running as a clearinghouse and resource center and through its popular annual conference, Running USA wire, Running USA E-News, website, annual marathon and State of the Sport reports and youth fitness portal RunningRocks.com and by supporting athlete development.

Running USA's more than 250 members include road races, race services companies, running-related media companies and organizations and the athletic industry.

In March 2009, the non-profit industry organization marked a decade of achievement to build and promote the sport. For more information, visit: RunningUSA.org or contact Ryan Lamppa at (805) 696-6232 or ryan@runningusa.org

Catalyst of the Second Running Boom Partners with Competitor's Multi-Platform Outlets

SAN DIEGO - (December 15, 2009) - Affectionately known by millions of runners around the world as "The Penguin," John Bingham will join the editorial team at Competitor Magazine in 2010. He will pen a new monthly feature titled The Penguin Chronicles in the magazine's re-launched format beginning in March.

"Competitor Magazine is assembling one of the most talented editorial teams in magazine publishing. The addition of John validates that statement," said Andrew Hersam, Competitor Group's Executive Vice-President of Media. "John has been a force in making the sport and activity of running more widespread through his humor and wisdom. As such, he can be credited as one of the major catalysts of the second running boom in United States. Competitor Magazine is setting a new standard of editorial excellence and John will be there to drive that objective."

The Penguin is one of the running community's most popular and recognized personalities. A runner who has completed more than 40 marathons, he is often credited with starting the slow-running movement in the 1990s. His legendary writing style blends humor and storytelling, informing and entertaining runners of all abilities. With a national circulation of over 700,000 each issue, the agreement with Competitor provides John with the world's largest audience of runners and endurance sports enthusiasts.

"I'm thrilled to join Competitor Magazine and rejoin forces with my friend and former colleague Andy Hersam," said Bingham, who previously worked with Hersam at Runner's World where Hersam served as the magazine's VP / Publishing Director. "It's the right move. Competitor is fiercely dedicated to inspiring people to lead healthier, more active lives. We share the same objective and with Competitor Magazine as the official magazine of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, I'm now able to get my message out through the magazine, online and at events all across the country. It's an exciting time."

The new agreement also includes the "Ask The Penguin" blog on www.competitor.com, as well as the opportunity to write for other Competitor Group publications including Triathlete Magazine and Inside Triathlon. The deal will also mean that John's books will be published by Competitor Group's book publishing division, VeloPress. Bingham will continue to host clinics and announce at events throughout the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, beginning with the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona in January.

In addition to his monthly columns, readers can also look for John's self-effacing humor, insight and perspective weekly at: http://johnbingham.competitor.com

Eight youth programs from across the USA receive support

ARLINGTON, Va. - (December 2009) - In 2009, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) established the Kids Run the Nation Fund to provide needed resources to youth running programs around the country as an opportunity to address the on-going inactivity and obesity epidemic affecting today's youth.

The Kids Run the Nation Grant Selection Panel of David Cotter (RRCA Vice President), Sharlee Cotter (Kids Run the Nation Fund Founder), Dan Kesterson (Youth Runner Magazine), Brent Ayer (RRCA President), Libby Jones (Texas - North State Rep) and Sally Meyerhoff (RRCA Roads Scholar) has announced the 2009 Kids Run the Nation Grant recipients. The panel reviewed 56 applications for programs that collectively serve more than 24,000 youth around the country.

The RRCA is pleased to award a total of $5250 worth of Kids Run the Nation Grants to the following youth running programs for 2009:

* Couch to 5K - Children's Rescue Center, Springfield, OH
* Clear Creek Running Club, Bloomington, IN
* Fitness University, Nashua, NH
* Fay Dolphin Runners Club, San Diego, CA
* Sugarloaf Sharks Running Club, Cudjoe Key, FL
* Run for Home Youth Training Program, Dover, OH
* Clearview Panthers, Bethlehem, PA
* Banner Running Club, Peoria, IL

To read more about these deserving programs, go to: RRCA.org

From a city known for its athletic pursuits, technological aptitude and creative energy comes the very first iPhone application for a premier marathon event

AUSTIN, Texas - (December 14, 2009) - Austin Marathon organizers partnered with Austin-based Brilliant Solutions, Inc. to create the first-ever mobile application for endurance racing. Launching today on the Apple App store and available for free, the official iPhone application - called Austin Marathon - allows users to find information about the event, challenge others to participate in the race, view course maps, receive race results directly on their iPhone, including the results of those they have challenged and find other useful information about the Austin Marathon.

This app brings endurance racing to the forefront of technology and gives the Austin Marathon an opportunity to share up-to-the-minute information in a way that is new, different and modern.

"This iPhone App is yet another example of how we strive to make every aspect of our race reflect the needs and values of our host city and our participants," said John Conley, Race Director of the Austin Marathon. "It's important that our race communicates in a way that is convenient and fun, but we also love that Brilliant Solutions, Inc. has made it so easy for people to share information among themselves and challenge others to join the race."

The application is powered by iRace, a robust endurance race database engine developed by Austin-based, Brilliant Solutions, Inc. iRace can also be found on the Apple App store as a stand-alone application that is inclusive of more than 13,000 races found throughout the United States.

"Focusing iRace on specific races makes a lot of sense for us as a business," says Brant Winterbottom, President of Brilliant Solutions, Inc. "We want to interact directly with the running community, and there is no better opportunity for us to be involved than through premier running events like the Austin Marathon. We are tremendously excited to be part of such a great event."

Austin Marathon utilizes the newest iPhone features, including Apple Push Notification (APN). Runners are notified on their iPhone as soon as race results are available and can easily view them within the application. APN is also used to invite - or "challenge" - others to participate in the event. When a challenge is accepted, the results of those challenged are also viewable within the application, letting runners compare their finishing times.

"The challenge feature is extremely unique. Many runners participate in races with family and friends, so the Austin Marathon app was designed to enhance the shared race experience," Winterbottom said.

Runners without access to an iPhone can also benefit from the application. The application is supported online at www.myirace.com and includes many of the same features available on the iPhone.

Austin Marathon provides another mechanism for sponsors and advertisers to connect with their market in a unique way that is not available through traditional race marketing. The mobile application can facilitate two-way communication between advertisers and their target audience through the use of banner ads and other interactive graphics within the application.

"There are many applications available today that support runners in their training. However, there is a noticeable gap in applications specific to endurance races," Winterbottom said. "Austin Marathon, powered by iRace, enhances the race experience for runners and provides a new and exciting platform for the race itself to interact with the participants."

The 2010 Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, February 14. More race information at: www.youraustinmarathon.com