Contact:
Jim Estes
LDR Programs Manager
[email protected]
317-713-4661

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

USATF announces New York Road Runners as Presenting Sponsor of USA Distance Project
NEW YORK, N.Y. -USA Track & Field announced on Monday that the New York Road Runners (NYRR), host of the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships presented by Gleukos, has signed as a Presenting Sponsor of the USA Distance Project for the next year.

The purpose of the USA Distance Project is to increase the opportunities for, and the number of, U.S. long distance running athletes by creating a network of training environments and activities which will produce more world class American marathoners and distance stars.

As a Presenting Sponsor, NYRR will provide $240,000 in financial support for the USA Distance Project and USA Distance Centers around the country.

"The New York Road Runners have shown a great commitment to the sport of long distance running and particularly the development of American distance running stars," said Craig Masback, CEO of USA Tack & Field. "The partnership of USATF and leaders of the running industry like the New York Road Runners will be of tremendous value in helping our athletes to realize their potential and take on the World."

With the new support of partners such as NYRR, the USA Distance Project will provide yearly funding to the existing network of USA Distance Centers as well as support athlete and coaching summits leading up to major international competitions. This partnership will maintain a collective commitment to developing athletes through the next Olympiad and beyond.

"This is another big step forward in our support of American long distance running. This is a statement of our belief in American distance running," said Mary Wittenberg President and CEO of NYRR. "We have every confidence we have the talent to win Olympic marathon medals and to win big city marathon titles and we want to do all we can to make that happen."

A partnership of the Long Distance Running Division of USA Track and Field and major U.S. events and running related corporations, the USA Distance Project is devoted to sustaining the long-term development of elite USA distance athletes, enabling them to compete successfully in domestic and international competitions and major championship events. USA Distance Center programs such as Team Running USA, the Big Sur Distance Project and Team USA Minnesota have made significant progress toward bolstering the strength of U.S. long distance running. The newly expanded program will ensure that they are supported through the next quadrennium.

The current Team USA Distance Centers that will benefit from this support are Team USA Minnesota, The Big-Sur Distance Project, Team Running USA and the new Boulder Performance Training Group.

Information on the Team USA Distance Project will be available at www.usatf.org .

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