Posted: March 27, 2005

Cycling: Salt Lake City Marathon Announces the Inaugural Ken Garff Volvo Bike Tour

First of its Kind in the City - Starts a New Marathon Weekend Tradition!

SALT LAKE CITY - (March 24, 2005) - The Ken Garff Volvo Salt Lake City Bike Tour is the first of its kind in Utah. The 25-mile Bike Tour will offer cyclists the opportunity for a non-stop, leisurely morning ride through the most scenic and spectacular parts of the Salt Lake Valley. The tour follows the Salt Lake City Marathon route on race morning April 23.

Events in similar cities attract thousands. Los Angeles attracts over 15,000 enthusiasts to ride their marathon course, helping to make race weekend one of the largest celebrations of fitness in the nation. The Salt Lake City Marathon is capping enrollment for this event at 3,000 bicycles. The cost to participate is $35 before April 15. Participants can sign up online and learn more at SaltLakeCityMarathon.com. Team discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (801) 412-6060.

It will start promptly at 6:00am at the Olympic Legacy Bridge near the Fort Douglas TRAX stop and wind through the Salt Lake Valley in a non-stop thrill ride through town. The course follows the marathon route, with the exception of the loops through Liberty Park and Sugar House Park and ends just west of the electric marathon finish at The Gateway. The course passes through parts of Salt Lake City, Holladay City, Murray, East Millcreek Township, City of South Salt Lake City and the Gateway.

This one-of-a-kind opportunity to ride the course without a single stop offers bicycle aficionados great perks, too. Included in the entry fee is a NordicTrack performance cycling shirt, $5 ticket coupon to the rockin' post race awards and concert featuring a national touring act, massages at the finish, goody bags filled with great stuff from our sponsors, admission to the Health and Fitness Expo on Thursday and Friday, a chance to attend the Fazoli's Pasta Party on Friday night, and admission to the spectacular Wild Oats All-Natural refreshment area at the finish line at The Gateway.

Cyclists must keep a minimum speed of 15mph and be able to complete the course in 1:45. This is not a course for beginners. As this is a non-competitive event, there will be no official times offered. A clock will be near the finish line to show run time. A maximum speed will be established by the Salt Lake City Police Department vehicles at 30mph.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is excited about this new addition to the marathon weekend of activities. "The Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour is a fabulous one-of-a-kind opportunity for people to ride through the Salt Lake County area on the 26-mile marathon course with open streets and no worries about automobile traffic. This is a fantastic family activity and a tremendous opportunity to support bicycling in our community."

The Salt Lake City Marathon was among 12 new favorites listed by Runner's World in the January 2005 Marathon Guide: "Small Wonders: Big Fun, Big Scenery, Big Rewards." January's Competitor Magazine and Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine both tout Salt Lake City as the "Best Race at Altitude."

The second annual Salt Lake City Marathon & 5K "Run, Bump & Boogie" will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2005. It is expected that total participant numbers will more than double last year's total.

Online registration is available at SaltLakeCityMarathon.com. 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.

For race information, contact Greg Reid, Race Director at (801) 412-6087 or :greid@devinerace.com. The Devine Racing offices are located at 136 E South Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Source: Karen Boe, (801) 484-8971 or kboe@devinerace.com

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
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Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
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