Nike Women's Marathon & Half Marathon to benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
14 Aug '07
4 min read
For the past three years, the Nike Women's Marathon has brought women together in San Francisco for the world's largest women's marathon. This year, Nike is adding a new twist to this already distinctive event the opportunity for women to run together on the same day for the same cause anywhere in the U.S. by registering for the first ever Nike+ Women's Half Marathon, through Nikeplus.
On October 21, 20,000 participants, up from 15,000 last year, from 50 states and more than 18 countries will descend on the Bay Area to run the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Selling out faster than most races of its size - the half marathonselling out in only 10.5 hours and the full marathon in 3.5 days - the Nike Women's Marathon has become one of the biggest philanthropic contributors among races. Via a partnership with Team in Training, the marathon raised more than $40 million in its first three years for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society benefiting cancer research and is expecting to exceed the $24 million raised in 2006 for this year's event, making it Team in Training's largest beneficiary race in its history.
Originally inspired by the 20th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's historic gold medal win in the first all-women's marathon at the 1984 Olympics, the one-of-a-kind marathon champions women's sports and encourages everyone to "Run Together" for a good cause. Samuelson has previously participated inthe Nike Women's Marathon in 2004 and 2005.
Throughout its tenure, the uniquely female event has seen three marriage proposals, a chocolate mile and a little sister's lane. Both full (26.2 miles) and half (13.1) marathon courses will remain the same for 2007, incorporating famous San Francisco landmarks and scenery.
The race will start in Union Square and run along the San Francisco Bay with scenicviews of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, ushering runners down the Great Highway as they cross the finish line. In addition, runners willreceive a one-of-a-kind signature necklace designed by Tiffany & Co for participating.
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