FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cindy Schaus of ING
+1-515-698-7607
cindy.schaus@us.ing.com
Richard Finn
Director Public Relations NYRR
+1-212-423-2229
rfinn@nyrrc.org
ING Run for Something Better -- The Beginning of Something New for the
ING New York City Marathon
ING and New York Road Runners Announce Athletes for Cause-Related Program
Supporting Parks Programs in New York City
NEW YORK, Sept. 23 -- ING and New York Road Runners today hosted a special
reception in Central Park to kick off the ING Run for Something Better
program -- the cause-related cornerstone of ING's recently announced title
sponsorship of the ING New York City Marathon.
New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe served as the
ceremonial host of the event, which was used to launch the unique program
that will have a significant impact on New York City parks over the next
several years.
This year, the ING Run for Something Better program will feature four of
the world's leading runners -- Marla Runyan of the United States, Lornah
Kiplagat of the Netherlands, Jen Rhines of the United States, and Ludmila
Petrova of Russia -- competing not only to win the ING New York City
Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2, but also to raise money for park improvement
projects across New York City and programs in their hometowns. ING will
donate funds on the athletes' behalf to the community projects.
"Running, as a sport, reflects many of our company's core values such as
challenging limits, long-term vision and doing things differently," said
Shaun Mathews, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, ING.
"The ING Run for Something Better program reflects our desire to support
and enhance the sport of running in a way that will positively affect
people in all parts of the globe."
"The ING Run for Something Better program supports the New York Road
Runners' core mission to promote health and fitness," said Allan Steinfeld,
president and CEO, New York Road Runners and race director, ING New York
City Marathon. "It will have an immediate and visible impact on the local
community."
Benepe, Mathews, Steinfeld, and several New York City borough presidents
matched each participating runner to one of the parks designated by the New
York City Parks & Recreation Department. Rhines will be running for Red
Hook Park located in Brooklyn; Kiplagat has been paired with Brooklyn's
McCarren Park; Runyon will be racing to help Astoria Park in Queens; and
Petrova will be running for Thomas Jefferson Park, which is located in East
Harlem, Manhattan.
Special guests in attendance were Lornah Kiplagat, one of the most dominant
athletes in women's running over the last five years, and Jen Rhines, a
2000 U.S. Olympian and 2002 U.S. 10,000-meter champion.
Over the course of three years, ING will make a significant contribution
through the ING Run for Something Better program to advance running and
fitness programs locally and internationally. Much of the money will be
provided to the Parks Department to refurbish track and field
infrastructure and to the City Parks Foundation to increase track and field
programming.
On race day, there will be cheering zones at four locations along the ING
New York City Marathon route that will invite spectators to participate in
the experience and cheer on the participants who are running for their park
and community.
The ING New York City Marathon annually attracts more than 30,000
participants, more than two million spectators, and a global television
audience of more than 250 million viewers.
About ING
ING Groep N.V. (NYSE:ING) is one of the largest financial services
companies in the world and is a leading provider in global and U.S.
markets. In the U.S., ING's operations include a variety of businesses
offering a comprehensive array of products and services to retails and
institutional clients -- including retirement programs; annuities; life
insurance; employee benefits; mutual funds; financial planning;
reinsurance; investment management and direct banking across the country.
ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 14 million
customers across the nation. All of ING's business operations in the U.S.
are part of the parent company, ING Groep N.V., which offers banking,
insurance and asset management to over 50 million private, corporate and
institutional clients through operations in 65 countries. ( www.ing.com )
About New York Road Runners
Founded in 1958 with a membership of 47, New York Road Runners (NYRR) is
one of the world's foremost running organizations. NYRR is a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to promoting the sport of running and walking for
health, recreation, and competition, and provides full professional
services related to all aspects of racing, including course certification,
computer scoring, and event promotion. The organization has a full-time
staff of more than 60 employees, supplemented by a network of thousands of
volunteers, serving more than 39,000 members from every U.S. state and more
than 100 countries.
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