ING Miami Marathon Opens Roads to Runners in New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
Runners Registered for Marathon in New Orleans Granted Free Entry into ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon
Posted Tuesday, 6 September, 2005
As organizations around the world begin offering aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, PR Racing, the Miami-based producers of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon have opened their race to runners registered for the Mardi Gras Marathon. The ING Miami Marathon takes place on January 29, 2006, one week prior to the scheduled date of the marathon in New Orleans. Runners training for the February 5th race in New Orleans will be able to maintain their current training regimen while completing either the full or half marathon in Miami.
Race Director Robert Pozo announced the efforts after learning that New Orleans based Premier Event Management, which serves as the timing company for the races in Miami and New Orleans, might be set back weeks before returning to their Louisiana offices. "PEM's staff is part of our family and we are relieved knowing they are all safe," Pozo said. "We have no indications of how bad the situation is, but we have opened our doors to support them, their families and the community of runners they serve."
The ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is expecting over 10,000 runners for the 2006 event and will open slots for pre- registered runners from the Mardi Gras Marathon, which hosted almost 5,000 runners in 2005. Mardi Gras runners who are pre- registered can contact PR Racing at 305-278-8668 or info@INGMiamiMarathon.com.
"We remember Hurricane Andrew vividly and normalcy did not set in until a year later,." Pozo said, in reference to his staff. "We have seen how these disasters can make a community ten times stronger, and we hope to help their community in any way we can."