Nike Brings Marathon for Women to San Francisco
Event Will Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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Posted Wednesday, 17 March, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - (March 15, 2004) - Nike today announced the Nike 26.2, a marathon and half marathon for women to be run in San Francisco on October 24, 2004. The event will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Participants can train for the marathon through the Society's Team In Training(r), the world's largest sports endurance training program. This race will be an annual event and will be the first marathon in the United States for women runners and walkers of all ages.

Both the marathon and half marathon will start and finish on the Great Highway outside Golden Gate Park and will run through the city of San Francisco ending along Ocean Beach, allowing runners and walkers to enjoy both the city and the coast line during the race. Running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson and CSI Miami actress Emily Procter will serve as ambassadors for the Nike 26.2 Marathon.

"It is great to join Nike in celebrating another first in women's running. Women will love to run together in the beautiful host city of San Francisco," said Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic Marathon gold medalist.

"The Nike 26.2 exemplifies the trend of more and more people participating in marathons for a good cause," said Greg Elfers, Senior Vice President, Campaign Development for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "For the hundreds of thousands of patients and families battling leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, the fact that women from across the country are coming to San Francisco to help in the battle to cure these cancers sends a clear message
of hope."

Emily Procter, CSI actress and sports enthusiast is also looking forward to the race. "I am thrilled that Nike has invited me to be part of this event," said Procter. "It's an honor to join this group of women who share a common purpose and to support an organization, whose work is so close to my heart."

The Nike 26.2 marathon is inspired by the 20th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's historic 1984 win in Los Angeles. Joan is currently training for the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials on April 3 in St. Louis and hopes to qualify for the summer marathon in Athens.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program is recruiting runners and walkers through its 63 chapters nationwide. To register with Team in Training, log onto www.teamintraining.org/nike262 or call 1-800-482.TEAM. Runners and walkers are also invited to register to run the race on their own at www.nikemarathon.com.

The Nike 26.2 will be the culmination of a weekend celebration in October. Events and activities are expected to include a race expo at Union Square, featuring health and fitness features for active women. Guest speakers, as well as fitness classes for strength training, Pilates, natural medicine and meditation will be available for Expo attendees.

About Nike Nike, Inc. based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan®, which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories.

About Team In Training Team In Training is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk a whole or half marathon or participate in a triathlon or century (100-mile) bike ride. Participants raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services in exchange for training, support, and lodging and airfare to the event of their choice. Since TNT's inception, more than 200,000 participants have raised more than $470 million.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has provided more than $360 million for research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made more than 441,000 patient contacts through services provided at its home office and by its 63 chapters nationwide.

Related info:
Running USA

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