Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series Goes Global
by David Monti
April 8, 2011
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
What started as a single race in San Diego, Calif., on June 21, 1998,
and grew to include 19 American cities this year, the Rock 'n' Roll
series of marathons and half-marathons will expand to Europe next year
for the first time. The first Maratón de Rock 'n' Roll Madrid will be
held in April, 2012, Competitor Group Inc., announced yesterday.
"We believe there is a significant opportunity to extend the reach of
the Rock 'n' Roll brand beyond North America and are thrilled to take
that first step in the iconic European capital city of Madrid," said
Scott Dickey, President of Competitor Group, a for-profit event
management and media company based in San Diego, Calif.
The first Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was the brainchild of Tim Murphy, the
founder of Elite Racing, Competitor Group's predecessor company. Murphy
was amongst the first in the running industry to see the potential of
running races as grand entertainment events, combining elite
competition, recreational running, charity fund raising, and musical
entertainment into a single package. Murphy convinced Suzuki to sponsor
the first race which attracted 18,000 entrants and was won by Kenyan
Philip Tarus (2:10:42) and Russian Nadhezda Ilyina (2:34:17).
In 2000, the series expanded to include the Country Music Marathon in
Nashvile, Tenn., and the following year the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon
in Virginia Beach was added. The P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona
Marathon & Half-Marathon was added next in Tempe, Ariz., in 2004.
That year, according to records kept by Race Results Weekly, the four
musically-themed race festivals recorded 65,972 finishers, and
Competitor Group soon became the largest commercial race organizer in
the United States (the New York Road Runners is the largest
not-for-profit organizer).
In Madrid, Competitor Group will retain the location operations team,
Elipse Iniciativas, but will add their formidable marketing muscle to
promote the event. The previous owner was Asociación Deportiva Maratón
Popular de Madrid, and the 2010 edition of the race, the 33rd, had 8281
finishers plus 3139 in the companion 10-K.
"Adding the Madrid Marathon to our event portfolio at this time
presented us with an ideal situation, allowing the current operations
team to remain involved," Dickey continued. "The deal represents an
enormous opportunity for global expansion and we are excited to
introduce our Rock n Roll brand to the international running
community."
The 2011 Maratón Popular de Madrid, the last edition of the race to be
held under that name, will take place on Sunday, April 17.
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