Maggie Valley Moonlight Race
Set for August 18, 2007. Event returns to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Regional and NC Elite Runners Expected.

E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page

Posted Wednesday, 13 June, 2007

Maggie Valley, NC and St. Pete Beach, FL (June 12, 2007) Motion Sports Management (MSM) and the newly formed Maggie Valley Moonlight Race, Inc. is pleased to announce the 29th Annual Maggie Valley Moonlight Race and Health, Fitness & Outdoor Expo, August 17th and 18th, 2007. The Maggie Valley Moonlight Race is expected to draw health and fitness enthusiasts from the Western North Carolina region and around the Southeast. The 2006 edition of the event demonstrated the enthusiasm and spirit of the event in the ‘80s and ‘90s when Runner’s World Magazine named it #5 on its Top 20 Races in the country list. Runner’s World will once again feature the event in the August issue as the Race of the Month. The issue will be mailed to 630,000 subscribers the first week in July.

“We are happy to announce that due to the success of the 2006 race, the event weekend is now owned and supported by a new not for profit group, Maggie Valley Moonlight Race, Inc.” said Sue Knapko, owner of Creek ‘N Woods Vacation Rentals” and chairman of the new organization. “We have recruited an outstanding board of directions including Brenda O’Keefe, owner of Joey’s Pancake House, Reimar Steffen, one of the original driving forces behind the race, Peggy Melville, Senior Vice President – Home Trust Bank, Debbie Wilson, community leader and philanthropist, Scott McLeod, Owner and Publisher of the Smokey Mountain News, Lynn Collins, Executive Director of the Maggie Valley Area Visitors Bureau, Will Harlan, Editor of Blue Ridge Outdoors and Wendy and Al Johnson, Principles - Motion Sports Management. The goal of the organization will be to produce a first quality event weekend that will encourage health and fitness in the region as well as promote tourism in Haywood County. Proceeds from the event will go to support local youth health and fitness initiatives to address the mounting issues of childhood obesity.

The Maggie Valley Moonlight Race is made possible through an alliance of MSM, the Town of Maggie Valley and the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority. “It is a real treat for us to have another great destination event in addition to the St. Pete Beach Classic, Bay to Bay and the Tampa Bay Lightning Reindeer Run.,” said Wendy Johnson, President of MSM. “We are very excited that the momentum is building toward the 30th running in 2008. We will be hosting the USA Track and Field North Carolina 8K state championships with top state runners vying for a $2,500 prize purse. North Carolina is home to some of the best professional distance runners in the country with ZAP Fitness in Boone and the Adidas Raleigh Track Club. Our goal continues to be to raise sponsorship revenue to support another large prize purse event that will draw all of the top US runners in 2008.” The 8K will also be host to the Road Runner’s Club of America 8K Regional Championship, the Running Journal Grand Prix and the Asheville Track Club Grand Prix. Top amateur runners compete in the various series’ races for points and regional or club rankings. Events are included because of a commitment to quality and competition.

The weekend event gets underway with the free Health, Fitness & Outdoor Expo on Friday, August 17th from Noon to 6:00PM and Saturday from Noon until 8PM at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Both days will feature various health, nutrition and outdoor vendors and products. Free health screenings will be available as well.

The Moonlight race is also proud to be part of the Blue Ridge Outdoors, (BRO), Go Outside & Play Road Show for the entire event weekend. The mission of the tour is to encourage event participants to become more involved with their local outdoor community and to inspire them to be more active in the outdoors. Event participants will have a chance to win free outdoor gear. Furthermore, the race is part of BRO’s Blue Ridge Cup Race Series. The Southeast’s largest race series covers five race categories and includes over 100 events from Baltimore to Atlanta.

On Saturday evening, August 18th, the race schedule will include a competitive 8K, 5K Run and Walk, a one mile Fun Run and Kids Dash. The post race party begins immediately following the first race and is free to all participants and volunteers. Extra wristbands are $5 for adults; $3 for children ages 5-16, free to children 4 & under. You must have a wristband on to enter the post race party hosted by Michelob Ultra, featuring great door prizes and live entertainment. Fantastic giveaways including: restaurant gift certificates, travel prizes, mountain weekends and much more.

Motion Sports Management is based in St. Pete Beach, FL with a goal of helping athletes meet their goals. MSM has two primary focuses; management services for road races and triathlons and coaching services for triathletes. Each member of the MSM team brings unique skills and experience whether it is as an athlete, coach or race director. This collective knowledge provides a strong foundation and forms the basis of our state of the art approach to serving our customers and their unique needs. For more information about MSM, visit www.motionsportsmanagement.com.

For more information go to www.maggievalleymoonlightrace.org or call (800) 624-4431.

 E-mail this page
 Printer-friendly page