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home > news > top news > under armour® baltimore running festival announces $100,000 purse for 2004

Under Armour® Baltimore Running Festival Announces $100,000 Purse for 2004
10,000 Runners Anticipated for This Year's Event

  
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Posted Wednesday, 17 March, 2004

BALTIMORE - (March 15, 2004) - Under Armour® Performance Apparel today announced a combined $100,000.00 purse for the 2004 Under Armour® Baltimore Running Festival, placing the one-day event among the top-10 largest guaranteed prize purses on the 2004 U.S. marathon calendar, according to the USA Track & Field Road Running Information Center. The event, which kicks off at 8:00 a.m. on October 16, 2004, will combine the Under Armour® Baltimore Marathon, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon, Legg Mason Funds Team Relay, 5K and Kid's Fun Run, is expected to draw nearly 10,000
runners to the City of Baltimore.

For the second year in a row, Under Armour® will supply all marathon and half-marathon participants with its signature performance apparel that pulls moisture away from athletes' skin keeping them temperature regulated, dry and light throughout the event. New this year, participants in the team relay, including teams vying for the Corporate Cup, will receive Under Armour® performance apparel as well with their registration fee.

"Our sponsors have shown an unprecedented commitment to making the Under Armour® Baltimore Running Festival one of the country's premier destination running events," commented Lee Corrigan, principal of Corrigan Sports Enterprises, the event organizer. "The quality of the course and the enthusiasm of the fans combined with the Under Armour® Performance Apparel
premium for participants has made this a must-attend event for runners from around the country. We're confident with the introduction of the $100,000 purse - nearly four times the amount offered last year - the Under Armour® Baltimore Running Festival's position will be solidified as a race leader beyond compare."

In addition to an increased purse, the 2004 Under Armour® Baltimore Running Festival will feature numerous enhancements. In response to runner feedback, staggered start times for the marathon and half-marathon, as well as a delayed merge for the two events and shorter leg distances in the team relay, have also been incorporated to make the races optimally runner-friendly. Providing additional convenience, parking is free for marathon participants, as is online race registration (www.thebaltimoremarathon.com). This year's course will once again take runners through the City's many diverse neighborhoods including the scenic Inner Harbor waterfront area, historic Federal Hill and charming Fells Point.

The festival boasts a combined 30% annual increase in runner participation since the race's 2001 inception. According to www.marathonguide.com, Under Armour's 2003 Baltimore Marathon received 4 out of 5 stars in the organization and course categories, and 4.5 out of 5 stars in the fan participation category.

"The Baltimore Running Festival is just one more way for Under Armour® to renew our commitment to inspiring and motivating athletes, and to reaffirm our dedication to the City of Baltimore," commented Kevin Plank, founder and president of Under Armour®. "We are proud to share the responsibility of building the Festival into a nationally recognized event and see this as an excellent opportunity for Under Armour® to help position our hometown as one of the top destinations in the country."

To boost community involvement for the 2004 Baltimore Running Festival, Under Armour® will conduct a major marketing push including a "Marathon 101" direct mail campaign to Baltimore schools, bars, restaurants and other area businesses that offers tips on cheering and other information on the weekend's festivities.

An additional gesture of support for athletes participating in this year's marathon, Under Armour® will offer cash prizes to the top ten male and female marathon finishers, as well as to runners in a variety of unique categories including the First Terrapin (past or present University of Maryland student), First Maryland Resident, First First-Time Marathoner and First Armed Forces Member to successfully complete the marathon.

About Corrigan Sports Enterprises (www.corrigansports.com) Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE) was established in 1991 with the goal of creating, managing and implementing sports and event marketing opportunities for the corporate community. In that time, CSE has grown into one of the strongest marketing organizations in the area. The addition of Under
Armour's Baltimore Marathon has only enhanced CSE's already impressive resume that includes the Toyota Pro Beach Volleyball Series, the Marines Charm City Challenge High School All-Star Game, the General Motors Scholarship Challenge and Toyota's Thrash at Rash Extreme Sports Festival, to name a few.

About Under Armour® (www.underarmour.com) Founded in 1996, Under Armour® is the originator of performance apparel, a line of moisture wicking microfiber clothing that pulls perspiration away from the skin to keep athletes cool, dry and light throughout the course of a game, practice or workout. Under Armour® manufactures its exclusive fabric domestically and boasts diverse products lines including HeatGear(tm), ColdGear(tm), LooseGear(tm), AllSeasonGear(tm), TurfGear(tm) and more, covering all climates and game situations. Several of more than 80 new products launched for 2004 include the Duplicity SportBra(tm), MetalSeries(tm), BrushedColdGear(tm) and new football gloves. The official supplier of performance apparel to Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Hockey League, USA Baseball and the US Ski Team, Under Armour® is worn by players on 30 NFL teams and more than 100 Division I-A college football programs. In Fall 2003, Under Armour® entered the team uniform market, partnering with the University of Maryland football program to serve as its exclusive team outfitter.

Also in 2003, Under Armour® was named the second-fastest growing privately held company by Inc. Magazine, was listed among Fast Company's "Fast 50", and received Sporting Goods Business' "Apparel Supplier of the Year" award.
Additionally, the company was ranked number 87 on ESPN's Top 100 List for 2003, which highlighted the year's most newsworthy sports personalities, moments, trends, games and stories. Under Armour® has achieved average sales growth of 250 percent per year since its inception and exceeded $115 million in sales in 2003. Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Under Armour® employs more than 250 people

 



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