COLUMBUS, Ind. – In partnership with the City of Columbus, the inaugural Mill Race Marathon, powered by Cummins, and primary sponsors MainSource Bank and Columbus Regional Health, will be held in Columbus, Indiana with proceeds benefiting Healthy Communities and the Columbus Park Foundation. This will be an inclusive event serving as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon as well as half marathon and 5K distances will be held on September 28, 2013 and covers a scenic route through the City.
“The Mill Race Marathon represents a great opportunity for Columbus and surrounding communities in terms of tourism and promoting healthy lifestyles through sports,” said Jim Henderson, Chairman of the Columbus Sports Advisory Council and retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cummins Inc. These go hand in hand with the vision and mission of the local sports council, founded in 2011 in Columbus, to help enable events like the Mill Race Marathon. “We welcome visitors to Columbus to experience not only what we know will be a great event, but also an opportunity to explore many of the things the City has to offer,” concluded Henderson.
“Introducing this event to the community is a terrific opportunity to combine two things that are very important to Cummins, promoting healthy lifestyles and partnering with the local community,” stated Dave Crompton, Cummins Executive Sponsor for the Mill Race Marathon.
“Since the first mention of the event several months ago, I’ve seen the excitement growing with our employees, with the sponsor companies, and within the Community.”
“MainSource is so proud to be a leader in bringing an important event such as the Marathon to Columbus, Indiana,” stated Chris Harrison, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking forMainSource. “We pride ourselves on our engagement within the communities we serve, and inbringing resources to them that assist their personal or professional lives. The Marathon is both a healthy initiative as well as an economic value to Columbus and we are excited to be a part of the event,” concluded Harrison.
The Mill Race Marathon is scheduled for a fall weekend very familiar to local runners. For thepast 16 years, hundreds of participants have converged in Columbus for the former Mill RaceRace with 5K and 15K distances. “We’re not thinking of the new event as a replacement for the Mill Race Race, but rather a way to broaden participation with both race entrants andthroughout the community,” said Randy Stafford, Mill Race Race Director. “With the introduction of the Mill Race Marathon to our community, we are able to expand the distance options for participants and host a larger scale event that ultimately brings greater benefits to our community.”
The event will include a full marathon (26.2 miles), half-marathon (13.1 miles), and a 5K (3.1miles) courses. The Mill Race Marathon is sanctioned by the United States of America Trackand Field (USATF), and is a Boston Marathon qualifier course and managed by Ken Long &Associates. Registered participants may run, jog, or walk the course. The course is alsostructured to accommodate wheelchair participants.
In conjunction with the event, several activities are being held and include the Reach HealthyCommunities Fun Run, presented by MainSource Bank. “We are pleased to sponsor the children’s Fun Run on the eve of the event to promote participation in healthy lifestyles for the youth in our community,” said Beth Morris, Director of Reach Healthy Communities. In addition, local and regional vendors will participate in a Fitness Expo on the day before the event.
“On behalf of Cummins, I’m proud to be a part of this and look forward to continued collaboration with the planning committee and all our sponsors and vendors as we prepare for a successful inaugural event,” Crompton concluded.
Registration is now open for the Mill Race Marathon by going to the official website, MillRaceMarathon.com. The website contains details about race day, information on training and nutrition programs for novice and advanced runners, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.
As with any fitness program, those interested in participating are encouraged to use available resources for proper nutrition and training.