Melbourne, Fla. -- Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers and Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield will be joining Florida Today Publisher Mark Mikolajczyk as the official race starters during the February 6 & 7, 2010 Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon Weekend.
The running weekend attracts more than 2,000 runners from overseas and throughout the United States and is Melbourne's Signature Sporting event. The weekend includes the USATF Florida state championship 8k, half-marathon and full marathon races. The main feature of the event is the half-marathon, which is the USATF National Championship Masters race. As such, it draws America's best distance runners age 40 and over.
Florida Today newspaper is the title sponsor of the 5k and 8k races, while State Farm insurance is the title sponsor of the half and full marathons. The 5k and 8k races are competed on Saturday, and the half and full marathon are on Sunday.
Mikolajczyk will be the official starter of the 8k race and accepted this position after original starter, former Olympian and past 5,000 meter world record holder Zola Budd, decided to instead run in the 8k. Mikolajczyk will gun start the 8k and then line up to run the 5k, which begins 30 minutes later.
Running icon Bill Rodgers of Boston returns to Melbourne for the second straight year and will also be competing in Sunday's half-marathon "Melbourne is a beautiful area -- especially compared to Boston in February -- and I had a great time here last year," said Rodgers. "It is a pleasure for me to be the official starter of the Florida Today 5k run."
Wakefield, is a Melbourne native and off-season resident. Still going strong in his 40s, the knuckleballer was named at age 42 to the 2009 American League All-Star squad. His stature as one of the best masters-age athletes in professional team sports qualifies him as a perfect starter for both the full marathon and Masters Championship Half-Marathon.
Aside from great hospitality and a beautiful course, the Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon features more than 20 different musical acts along the race route. For more information, www.themelbournemarathon.com.
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