Running USA wire 39, May 6, 2012

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In this edition:
Reyes, Bea Win Flying Pig Marathon
Alison Sweeney to Run Marine Corps Historic Half
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Debuts New Winners Medallion Made from Elephant Dung
EventBrite Offers Full Service Registration Solutions for Endurance Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Running USA today and have your event listed here, as well as on www.RunningUSA.org


National Run a Mile Days, nationwide, May 6-12
UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, New York, NY, May 12
ALS 5K / 10K, Miami, FL, May 12
I-Drive 5K, Orlando, FL, May 12
35th Fifth Third River Bank 25K, Grand Rapids, MI, May 12
USA Men's & Women's Championships
Inaugural Thelma & Louise Half Marathon, Moab, UT, May 12
Santa Barbara Wine Country Half, Santa Ynez, CA, May 12
Mothers Day 5K, St. Paul, MN, May 13
Kirkland Half Marathon & 5K, Kirkland, WA, May 13
Medtronic TC 1 Mile, Minneapolis, MN, May 17
USA Men's & Women's Championship
Twilight 5K, Denver, CO, May 17
5th Geist Half-Marathon by St. Vincent, Indianapolis, IN, May 19
Joplin Memorial Run, Joplin, MO, May 19
Fargo Marathon, Fargo, ND, May 19
TC Kids Marathon XC Fun Runs, Minneapolis, MN, May 19
Colfax 5K, Denver, CO, May 19
Cottonwood Classic 5K, Denver, CO, May 19
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Run, Colorado Springs, CO, May 19
35th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Weekend, OH, May 19-20
Cellcom Green Bay Marathon & Half, Green Bay, WI, May 19-20








Reyes, Bea Win Flying Pig Marathon

Herren, Robillard half-marathon champions; 14th edition sees record field on beautiful day in Cincinnati

By Jackie Reau, Game Day Communications



CINCINNATI - (May 6, 2012) - Sergio Reyes (Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo 2000), the winner of the 2009 Flying Pig Marathon, returned to Cincinnati this weekend to win his second Flying Pig Marathon in a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 6 seconds. The 2012 field of participants was the largest-ever at 30,993 for events on Saturday and Sunday.



The 30-year-old Reyes of Palmdale, Calif., recently ran the Boston Marathon, where he finished 12th overall. His other wins this year have been at the Rock 'n' Roll Pasadena Half Marathon and Across the Bay 12K, and he finished 25th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston last January.



"It was great to come back and have fun on a beautiful day," said Reyes. "It was a good event to run before I take a break from running." Reyes is planning to take a few weeks off this spring and summer to heal some nagging injuries.



Reyes' winning time in 2009 was 2:20:37, missing the event record held by Cecil Franke by 12 seconds.



"I felt pretty good today," said Reyes, who is a 2003 graduate of Cedarville University and is now in graduate school in electrical engineering at Cal State Northridge. "I had a surge at 18 but when I got to mile 23, the tank ran dry. I just decided to enjoy the last three miles."



Runner-up in the men's marathon was 37-year-old Rob Morwood of Lebanon, Ohio, who clocked 2:37:30 and third was 44-year-old Jim Beyer of Dayton, Ohio in 2:38:15.



This is the fifth Flying Pig Marathon in which Morwood has completed. He finished third in the 2010 and 2011 Marathons.



"I was fighting my hamstring from mile 6 on," said Morwood, who is an attorney at Baker & Hostetler in Cincinnati. "But this is our home town marathon. It's fun to compete a bit in an event like this."



In the women's Flying Pig Marathon, 30-year-old Rachel Bea of Cincinnati won the title in a time of 2:54:41. She finished second in last year's half-marathon.



Bea, whose parents in Wisconsin also are marathoners, is a graduate assistant cross country coach at Northern Kentucky University and teaches physical education at Ryland Elementary in northern Kentucky.



"Those kids are always my inspiration," she said. "A big group of our Ryland students took part in the Flying Pig Kids' Marathon (on Saturday) and they inspire me to keep going."



Second was 37-year-old Heather Backer of Crestview Hills, Kentucky, who not only finished the marathon in a time of 3:00:23, but also got a proposal from Dr. Bob Flick, a member of the Flying Pig's medical team, at the finish line.



"I love running the home course," said Backer, who's an elementary education teacher at Stevenson Elementary in Northern Kentucky. She was the winner of the Toyota 10K at the Flying Pig last year.



Third was Kerry Lee, 37, of Cincinnati, in a time of 3:01:06. She was second in last year's Flying Pig Marathon.



Fourth among women marathoners was 2005 Flying Pig Marathon winner Alison Bedingfield Delgado, 29, of Cincinnati in 3:01:37. Delgado's story is well known in running circles, recovering from a near-fatal bicycle accident almost two years ago to run again.



In the Flying Pig Half Marathon presented by Border Energy, 28-year-old Chris Herren of Oakley won in 1:11:22. An employee of Tri-State Running Company, he also has won the 2011 Greenway Marathon, the 2011 Cedars Frostbit Half Marathon for the second consecutive year and finished seventh in the 2011 Rocket City Marathon.



"This is probably my best distance," Herren said. "I did it the hard way. That was a fast pace today."



Second was a veteran in the Cincinnati running community, TJ Lentz, 45, finishing in 1:12:11, his second straight year finishing second in the Flying Pig Half.



Third for the men was 19-year-old Dan Shafer of Fairborn, who just finished his sophomore year at Wright State University and completed his fourth half-marathon at the Pig in 1:13:05.



On the women's side, Amy Robillard, 32, of Mason, Ohio defended her 2011 Half Marathon title in 1:21:20, besting her time last year by 51 seconds. Robillard's story touched hearts last year, as she talked about working her training runs around her son's chemotherapy treatments after a bone marrow transplant. Jameson is two now and is doing well.



"I always ran," said Robillard, the mother of two. "Nowdays I do it because it's therapeutic."



Second in the women's half marathon was 27-year-old Erin Omara of Ypsilianti, Michigan, in 1:24:50 in her first time running the Flying Pig Marathon.



Third was 29-year-old Grace Conrad, a student at the University of Cincinnati, who claimed a personal best for the half at 1:25:21.



In Saturday's events, Brett Frondorf and Becky Clark took the Toyota 10K titles, while Chris Reis and Karen Berndt won the Flying Pig 5K.



The total field of participants on both days of the 14th Flying Pig Marathon powered by P&G is 30,993, a record for total participation, beating the 2011 field of 30,408. Participants are representing all 50 states and 14 countries and include:



Full Marathon: 4,839 (2011: 5,083)
Half Marathon: 12,121 (2011: 12,155)
City Dash 4-Person Relay / Paycor Corporate 4-Person Relay: 2,420 (2011: 3,044)
Toyota 10K: 2,902 (2011: 2,442)
Flying Pig 5K: 4,198 (2011: 3,616)
Kids Marathon (one miler) presented by Ernst & Young: 3,834 (2011: 3,436)
Piglet Fun Run: 679 (2011: 632)


14th Flying Pig Marathon
Cincinnati, OH, Sunday, May 6, 2012



MEN
1) Sergio Reyes (CA), 2:22:06
2) Rob Morwood (OH), 2:37:30
3) Jim Beyer, 44, OH, 2:38:15



WOMEN
1) Rachel Bea (OH), 2:54:41
2) Heather Backer (KY), 3:00:23
3) Kerry Lee (OH), 3:01:06



8th Flying Pig Half-Marathon


MEN
1) Chris Herren (OH), 1:11:22
2) TJ Lentz, 45, OH, 1:12:11
3) Dan Shafer (OH), 1:13:05



WOMEN
1) Amy Robillard (OH), 1:21:20
2) Erin Omara (MI), 1:24:50
3) Grace Conrad (OH), 1:25:21



For complete results and more, go to: www.flyingpigmarathon.com




Alison Sweeney to Run Marine Corps Historic Half

Event celebrates 5th year on May 20 in Fredericksburg, Virginia


QUANTICO, Va. - (May 4, 2012) - Alison Sweeney, celebrated host of the NBC series "The Biggest Loser", author of "The Mommy Diet" and Samantha Brady on "The Days of Our Lives", will serve as honorary starter and participant of the Marine Corps Historic Half marathon on Sunday, May 20 in Fredericksburg, Virginia.



Also running the Historic Half is "Biggest Loser" contestant Lauren Lee, 27, of Poolesville, MD, who was a member of this season's reality cast.



Sweeney, who has served as host of "The Biggest Loser" for the past 10 seasons, will participate in Historic Half opening ceremonies beginning at 6:30am and then fire the starting pistol at 7:00am, before joining 8,000 runners on the 13.1 mile course through Fredericksburg's scenic streets and neighborhoods. The Historic Half start line will be located between Wegmans and the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center at 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway.



Sweeney completed her first marathon in March and will participate in her second half marathon event with U.S. service members, military families and thousands of other runners during the Marine Corps Historic Half. Sweeney is an accomplished producer, actress, TV host and author of "The Mommy Diet." Sweeney began acting at the age of four and at age 16; she joined the cast of "The Day of our Lives" and is now celebrating her 19th year on the show. She has received five Soap Opera Digest Awards and an online Emmy Award as "America's Favorite Villain" in 2002.



The Marine Corps Historic Half, Historic Half relay and Semper Fred 5K will include 10,000 participants as the event celebrates its fifth anniversary in the picturesque City of Fredericksburg. The Historic Half start will include a flyover of vintage aircraft from "The Flying Circus" of Bealeton, VA and the firing of a Marine Corps howitzer, a replica Civil War musket and the starting pistol fired by Sweeney.



Limited registration for the Marine Corps Historic Half, the two-runner Historic Half relay and the Semper Fred 5K is available at: www.marinemarathon.com



The 2012 Marine Corps Historic Half marathon is located between the nation's capital of Washington, DC and the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia in Richmond.






Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Debuts New Winners Medallion Made from Elephant Dung

Run to the Shrine 5K & 10K races help raise funds for animal feed and care; event is only day of the year foot traffic is allowed on the breathtaking road to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (May 2, 2012) - It's a run like no other, so the medallions should be unique, too. That's why Cheyenne Mountain Zoo called on Lucky and Kimba, African elephants, to help make a special memento for the winners of the 4th Run to the Shrine fundraiser on Saturday, May 19, 2012. First the elephant dung was dried, then molded into a medallion shape and cured with epoxy resin. This medal definitely won't end up in a box in a runner's closet.



Registration for Run to the Shrine is now open at select Colorado Springs running stores as well as online - www.cmzoo.org/run. Run to the Shrine is the only day of the year foot traffic is allowed on the breathtaking road to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, and more than 1,000 people are expected to lace up their running shoes and tackle the nearly 1,400-foot elevation gain. Both the 5K and 10K are USATF-certified and chip timed, winding through the zoo with giraffes, tigers and grizzlies lining the course. The challenging 10K is perfect for competitive runners gearing up for summer races and the 5K is a shorter alternative for weekend warriors and families. Jogging strollers are welcome.



Registration includes bragging rights, zoo admission for the day, a commemorative t-shirt featuring elephants, and a post-event party at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Lodge at Moose Lake. All proceeds help feed and care for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's 800-plus animals. Since the zoo doesn't receive any tax support, community events like this help keep the zoo "running".



Register online at: www.cmzoo.org/run






EventBrite Offers Full Service Registration Solutions for Endurance Events

Includes event management, merchandise sales, social integration tools and more


SAN FRANCISCO - (May 4, 2012) - Eventbrite, the self-service registration and ticketing platform, has announced the release of a tailored product for organizers and participants of endurance races. Known in the ticketing space for its industry leading social sharing tools and partnerships, Eventbrite has processed more than 57 million tickets and registrations, and hosted more than 500,000 events in the last year including many in the endurance space such as lululemon's Sea Wheeze Half Marathon, US Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge Mud Run, Gran Fondo New York and Metro Dash events across the country.



The full service registration solution, which was customized based on feedback from endurance organizers and participants, includes the ability for race organizers to sell merchandise along with registration prior to the event, and allows for easier team registration sign-up and management. Race organizers can also automatically assign bib numbers as participants register for their event.



"Eventbrite provides an unparalleled offering for event organizers and attendees in terms of ease of use, social sharing capabilities and customer support," said Bill Toomey, director of the US Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge Mud Run. "We've been able to take Eventbrite's fully customizable registration platform, and make it look like a seamless extension of our website."



The new functionality for the endurance event organizers is built on top of the industry leading social sharing tools that Eventbrite is known for today, and helps turn athletes into promoters for their events. In fact, every time someone shares an event on Facebook from Eventbrite's platform, it generates $2.52 in registration and ticket sales - and 11 visits back to the fully customized event page.



Additional benefits of Eventbrite's offering includes:

Soup-to-nuts online registration and check in solution, from custom branded registration page to innovative check-in tools and mobile apps
Event marketing tools and social partnerships to help participants easily find and share events
Upsell functionality to allow athletes to purchase event merchandise at point of registration
Unmatched data, analytics and reporting for organizers
Account management and 24/7 customer service - for organizers and participants
Optimized registration flow for athletes - less clicks and pages, and no log in required to complete registration
Easy switching to registration terminology on event pages
Hassle free team registration for athletes to create or join existing teams
Smart sequencing and assignment of bib numbers for race participants


To learn more about Eventbrite's registration offering for endurance events, go to: www.eventbrite.com/endurance







Contact Information


Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director, ryan@runningusa.org, (805) 696-6232




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