Community First Fox Cities Marathon Medals to be Keepsakes for Finishers
Posted Thursday, 23 August, 2007
APPLETON, Wis. - (August 22, 2007) - Finishers in this year's Community First Fox Cities Marathon Festival of Races will be able to hang on to the memory for years to come in a special way. Those completing the Community First Fox Cities Marathon, U.S. Cellular Half Marathon, Appleton Papers PowerWalk and Orthopedic & Sports Institute Relay Marathon on Sunday, September 23, will receive the first of a series of seven collectible medals. The medals will feature scenes on the 26.2-mile course from the seven Fox Cities communities.
Veteran runner Ron Goudreau, a member of the Pacesetters Running Club who has run 15 of the last 16 Fox Cities Marathons, is excited about the commemorative medals. "Completing a marathon is a uniquely satisfying achievement and having a finisher's medal with a design featuring a community landmark makes the medal an extra special keepsake," he said.
The first in the series of collectible medals features the lighthouse at Kimberly Point in Neenah.
"The collectible medal series featuring the Fox Cities' communities covered in the Sunday events was designed in a way to honor those communities and residents who have supported us during the past 17 years," marathon events manager Debbie Jansen said. "It also is a means to showcase the great cities and villages that make the Fox Cities so special."
After years of starting at Riverside Park and near the lighthouse, this year's events will now finish at Riverside Park in Neenah. They will begin on Midway Road at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, which was the previous starting point. The last scenic mile of the course will take participants past Lake Winnebago and Kimberly Point.
In addition, the entire course showcases many Fox Cities' landmarks to the more than 4,000 participants, expected to come from 40 states and four countries. Future medal designs and cities to be featured in subsequent years will be announced later.
"The fact that the Community First Fox Cities Marathon medals will highlight each of the marathon route cities as a collectible series in future years is great," Goudreau added. "Of course those of us who have completed most or all of the previous Fox Cities Marathons might wish the series started years ago, but it now gives everyone another reason to be back next year."
For more information on the 17th annual event, visit: FoxCitiesMarathon.org.
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
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