Posted: February 2, 2006

Athletics: Running Industry to Gather for Running USA Conference in San Diego

Close to 300 leaders in the sport and business of running will gather next Monday thru Wednesday, Feb 6-8 for Running USA 2006, the National Conference for the Running Industry powered by the Active Network and Gen A Network. The third annual conference will feature outstanding speakers, inspiring presentations, networking socials in an ideal setting with sunny skies, palm trees and sandy beaches. In addition, there will be a Board of Directors election for several seats. The conference will be held at the beautiful Paradise Point Resort and Spa on Mission Bay in San Diego, California.

Featured speakers include:
* Lessons for the Running Industry from American Business
Alex May, Managing Director, Citigroup
* The State of the Sport and Future Directions
Jim Weber, CEO, Brooks
* The Story of Nike, Building the Brand
Nelson Farris, Original Nike Employee
* The Running Lifestyle
Jeff Galloway, Olympian, Author; Hal Higdon, Author; John Bingham, The Penguin, Running Motivator
* Dynamics of the Sports Retail Market
Mark Sullivan, Editor of SGI Magazine, President of Formula 4 Media
* The Healthy Lifestyle Universe
MaryAnn Bekkedahl, Executive VP, Group Publisher, Rodale Magazines
* Specialty Running Store - The Hub of the Running Community
Dave Zimmer, Chicago Retailer
* The Power of Public Relations
Mark Beal, Alan Taylor Communications
* Building an Urban Running Community
Julia Emmons, Executive Director, Atlanta Track Club, Director of Peachtree Road Race
* Exploring the Active Lifestyle
Frank Hugelmeyer, President, The Outdoor Industry Association
* Repositioning our Sport - Celebrate a New Resurgence in Participation and Audience Size
Steve Miller, CEO, Devine Racing

Live, Silent Auctions Offer Variety of Great Items
Part of the conference fun will be the live and silent auctions. Among the dozens of packages available will be Runner's World Legends of Running which will bring popular race speakers John Bingham, Jeff Galloway and Amby Burfoot to the winning race, a signed Peyton Manning game jersey, a Cannondale road bike, a Boston Marathon package, a San Diego getaway weekend, great marketing and race services packages, special one-on-one sessions with prominent race directors, an IEG Sponsorship Conference registration and lots of great sports apparel and accessories. The silent auction will start on Monday and end at the Gen A Network Hall of Champions Banquet. The live auction will be held during the banquet.

Industry Steps Forward to Sponsor RUSA Conference
The running industry has stepped forward to make sure that Running USA 2006, the National Conference for the Running Industry powered by the Active Network and Gen A, is a success by sponsoring the conference. Joining the Active Network and Gen A Network in supporting the conference are the following companies:

Gold Sponsors - Brooks Sports, Devine Racing, Gatorade, Leslie Jordan, Inc., Marathon Foto and Saucony
Silver Sponsor - Osborne Mint
Bronze Sponsors - brightroom, Expand A Sign, Her Sports, Running Network, Smartwool, Save Our Soles Socks, Spenco and Wiggle Wireless
Supporting Sponsors - AFM, Inc., Ashworth Awards, BKB, Ltd., Body Glide, Coolrunning.com, emedia group, MarathonGuide.com, Racetrackers, Runner's ID, Sport Science, SureShip and Training Peaks

For more information on the conference including on-line registration, full schedule and the current list of attendees, go to: www.runningusa.active.com.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

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