Posted: August 26, 2004

Athletics: 2005 Date Set for Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K "Run, Bump & Boogie"

Early Online Registration and New Website Ready

SALT LAKE CITY - (August 25, 2004) - The second annual Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K "Run, Bump & Boogie" will be held on April 23, 2005. Online registration opened August 11, 2004 and is expected to fill quickly. Early registration for the race is only $70 for the marathon and $25 for the 5K before January 2, 2005.

With a 25 percent increase in the prize purse to $125,000, this race is expected to attract even greater attention from world-class runners around the globe. A newly redesigned website www.saltlakecitymarathon.com has easy-to-use registration forms, training information, travel and accommodation links, special stories and photographs from the inaugural event. In addition, participants can find course maps and details on the entire weekend of festivities.

The weekend will be filled with spectacular entertainment and parties. Celebrity runners are expected from a variety of major media. A fun-filled pre-event Fitness Expo and Pasta Party will keep runners psyched for the run. The Fitness Expo will take place on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, with many more exhibitors and an additional day for packet pickup. Marathon participants will receive a free ticket to an exhilarating post-race award concert and party, featuring a top national touring band (to be announced) and 5K participants will receive a $10 discount.

Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K, themed "Run, Bump & Boogie" is destined to be the most spectacular new Marathon & 5K on the horizon. The Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K is certified and sanctioned through USA Track & Field and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The 26.2 mile scenic downhill course makes it an appealing run for a wide range of entrants. Entry classes will include open, masters and wheelchair divisions and will have 17 age divisions. Due to popular demand from the first running, new age divisions have been added for those participants 85-90 years old and 90+. Runners' times will be clocked by a state-of-the-art chip timing system. The elite fields for both men and women will be announced in March of 2005.

Top runners from around the world will enjoy crisp, cool running weather in April, in a setting that surrounds them with snow-capped peaks contrasting with spring blossoms, all along a flat and slightly downhill 26.2 mile course. The Run, Bump & Boogie Marathon & 5K starts at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Athlete Village. The gentle course then skirts the base of the towering Wasatch Mountains, passes by cozy neighborhoods and elegant estates, and winds through Salt Lake's legendary wide streets, into the city center, via Liberty Park. Here, the music will absolutely rock, the energy will surge and crowds of enthusiastic spectators will cheer participants on, all the way to the electric finish at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway, in downtown Salt Lake.

An elite field of talented world-class runners from around the globe set the course records for the inaugural Salt Lake City Marathon, Run, Bump & Boogie on April 24, 2004. Over 3,200 participated in the marathon and 3,100 in the 5K for the inaugural year. The Salt Lake Tribune declared the race "had everything it needed to be a stunning success - from world class athletes mixing with hundreds of 'regular' runners to flawless organization, an army of spirited volunteers and astonishing community support along almost every inch of the 26.2-mile course around the city. Just like the Olympics everything about the event was an utter joy to experience." A post race awards ceremony was held at 7:00pm, followed by a concert headlined by the B-52's. $50,000 was donated from the race to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The Devine Racing offices are located at 136 E South Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. For race information, contact Greg Reid, Race Director at (801) 412-6087 or greid@devinerace.com. Devine Racing L.L.C. was created to acquire and oversee prestigious amateur athletic events in major destination cities, particularly marathons, triathlons and road races. With a goal of acquiring premier running events, the intent is to build them into the most well-respected running events in the world. Devine Racing focuses on enhancing the participant experience, building an entire weekend of spectacular events from fitness expos to world-class concerts designed to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes. Devine Racing launched the Salt Lake City Marathon in April of 2004 and just announced the purchase of the Las Vegas Marathon. Other recently acquired events include Chicago's unique Quarter and Half Marathons. Devine Racing is in contract stages with additional major destination city road racing events. Chris Devine serves as Chairman, Bruce Buzil is Vice Chairman, Tom Sly serves as President, and Scott Kerr is the Executive Race Director. The privately held company was established in 2003.