For Immediate Release:
January 14, 2008
Contact: Brian Reardon
www.RunAbe.com
Abe@RunAbe.com
SPRINGFIELD’S LINCOLN MEMORIAL HALF MARATHON NAMED “ENDORSED” EVENT FOR ILLINOIS LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL
Running event takes participants past some of the most significant sites in Abe’s hometown Organizers expect 750 to 1000 runners for 2008 race SPRINGFIELD, IL (January 14, 2008)—Organizers of the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon announced today that the race has been named an officially “endorsed” event by the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. By obtaining “endorsed” status, the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon will be included among the premier events celebrating the life of Abraham Lincoln as the Lincoln Bicentennial approaches in 2009.
“This is tremendous news for the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon,” said race co-director Brian Reardon. “To be associated with the state’s Lincoln Bicentennial celebration is a great honor and the entire race committee would like to thank the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission for bestowing this status. The designation will be a tremendous asset as we market this race to the nation. It is our hope to bring thousands of active visitors to Lincoln’s hometown so they can experience Lincoln on their own two feet as they run past the most significant Lincoln sites in the country.”
“The Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is pleased to review community events statewide which commemorate the life and legacy of Lincoln,” said Commission Chair Marilyn Kushak, “and will continue to endorse events as we look forward to celebrating the bicentennial. From its name to the race course itself, the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon certainly fulfills the high standards as a celebration of Abe’s life and hometown.”
The Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by the State of Illinois, serves to promote a deeper knowledge, understanding and engagement in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, through conferences, publications, preservation of Lincoln sites, and local, state-wide and national observances commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, 2009.
Information on events and programs endorsed by the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission will be available through the Commission’s website www.Lincoln200.net. Additionally, endorsed events and programs will receive a letter of endorsement from the Commission and have permission to use the Commission’s logo in association with their own event or program.
The 44th Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon will be run on Saturday, April 5, 2008, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The race is owned and organized by the non-profit Springfield Road Runners Club (SRRC). An SRRC committee of unpaid, local volunteers oversees the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon. For more information on the race, including a map of the course, visit the race website at www.RunAbe.com.
