PRESS RELEASE

Off ‘N Running Tours to start training LA Runners in March for the Athens Classic Marathon this Fall to commemorate the original marathon’s 2,500 year anniversary.

January 29, 2010, Los Angeles, CA – Off ‘N Running Tours, a company dedicated to helping individuals improve their athletic performance, today announced a marathon training program designed to prepare California runners for the Athens Classic Marathon in October. The company will be training and sending hundreds of runners to Athens this Fall so they can take part in this historical yet challenging event along with thousands of other runners.

“We’ve been getting calls from runners all over Southern California who are excited about and interested in running the Athens race, but are concerned about whether they are ready. The Athens Classic Marathon is widely considered to be a difficult race. Runners will need to train for more than they normally would in order to finish this one and is the reason why we are offering a 33-week training program,” said Cheryl Anker, President & CEO of Off ‘N Running Tours.

The annual Athens Classic combines the past with the present, a past that gave rise to the concept of distance marathon races as we know them today. On October 31, 2010, approximately over 10 thousand runners from all over the world will run this event. They are attracted to the experience of running the world’s first marathon course, as well as the opportunity to see historical sites and experience Greek culture.

Starting in March and lasting for 33 weeks, Off ‘N Running Tours will be preparing hundreds of beginning and intermediate runners for this event through their Athens Marathon Training Program. The group will meet on weekend mornings in West Los Angeles/Beverly Hills. In addition to weekly runs, the program fee includes monthly training schedules, scenic training courses for group runs, along with supplementary articles to keep runners “in the know” about current trends in performance, nutrition and running.

For over 15 years, Off ‘N Running Tours has trained California runners for marathons all over the world, such as the LA Marathon, the New York Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, the BMO Vancouver Marathon, the San Francisco Marathon, the Mardi Gras Marathon and the Honolulu Marathon. In addition to marathon training, the company creates and manages convention races nationwide and guided running tours of California. For the association who wants to offer their convention attendees an energizing activity, the traveler who wants to see the Los Angeles area or the local runner who wants to prepare for their next marathon, Off ‘N Running Tours offers something for everyone.

The cost to participate in the training program is $300 for 33 weeks. To register or for more information, visit http://www.offnrunningtours.com/athens-marathon-training.html.

I’m halfway thru the ING NYC Marathon (I recorded it) and wanted to share my notes. What a GREAT day for U.S. distance running!!! These notes are in chronological order so some of it may seem out of place since the race was run nearly 12 hours ago.

• 42,000 runners? Waves of runners starting an hour after the initial gun? In the words of my fellow Norwegians…UFFDA!!!
• Abdi Abdirahman has the coolest nickname (The Black Cactus).
• Meb Keflezighi in the U.S.A. singlet…very cool.
• Looking at Paula Radcliffe run by fast food joints was the ultimate paradox.
• The coolest running scene has to be the mass of running humanity crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
• I love the fact their were no pace setters. That’s one thing that drove me nuts about the Chicago Marathon. Another thing is that New York separated the women elite from the rest of the pack. I hated the fact that the women in Chicago were running with other runners.
• Kudos to Universal Sports. Without them, running wouldn’t get nearly the coverage it now gets.
• The fluorescent yellow and black that some of the elites were wearing really stood out. Remind me to never to wear fluorescent yellow and black.
• Anybody else wish Kara Goucher was in the race?
• I’m amazed at how efficiently the elites run. Ryan Hall looks like he isn’t even trying.
• Is orange the new black?
• Thought it was funny when the announcers said the women’s time of 1:14:04 at the halfway point was pedestrian. Yeah right!!!
• The fall that Yuri Kano took at the beginning was brutal. Talk about wrong time wrong place.
• Was anybody else trying to will Magdalena Lewy Boulet back into the lead pack when she fell behind?
• The 59th Street bridge looks like a beast.
• How cool was it to see 5 Americans in the 13 runner lead pack at the beginning? Sign of times to come?
• Maybe it was because of the fall but Salina Kosgei runs like she’s falling forward.
• I need to run New York just to experience 1st Avenue in Manhattan. It sounds awesome.
• The slower pace in the middle of the race made for great finishes for the women and men.
• When the pace picked up, the U.S. men (except for Meb) got squashed.
• Central Park looks like a great setting for running. Great backdrop for television.
• What was Ludmila Petrova looking for in the drink cups with a couple miles to go? She grabbed two cups, looked inside them and thru them away. The third one she finally drank from.
• Derartu Tulu ran a great race. She never stuck out the whole race but was always in the pack. You could tell at the end she was going to turn it on and win.
• I haven’t seen the interviews yet but what happened to Paula? She fell off the pace hard.
• Meb had me at full attention at the end when he finally put the move on Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot.
• I get really nervous for the runners with all the motorcycles and media towards the end of races. I just waiting for one of them to clip a runner.
• Meb Keflezighi crosses the finish line in 2:09:15. It’s a GREAT day for U.S. distance running. Now that 1982 has been buried, let’s see if we can roll this into a winning streak.
• Ryan Hall was strong to the end finishing in 4th. Like a lot of people, I was looking for him to break out today. He’ll have his day…no doubt.
• My last note is to Nike. I WANT A U.S.A. SINGLET!!!

Since most of us don’t have Monday off I’ve set the DVR to record the 113th Boston Marathon. For those of you that would like to do the same, it’s being broadcast on NBC’s Universal Sports.

There site has a bunch of interviews and support pieces. I suggest checking it out when you have time. Click here for the Boston Marathon site.

Big running events need to be broadcast nationally. Here’s to hoping that the big five (Boston, Chicago, NYC, London and Berlin) will all be on for us to celebrate in the achievements of our sports best.

RMFR