Contact: Dan Finanger
Executive Director
612-925-3500, Ext. 12
Jackie Liu
Media & Public Relations Manager
612-925-3500, Ext. 13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWIN CITIES MARATHON FEATURES EQUIPMENT DROP ZONE
SPONSORED BY GEAR RUNNING STORE
Minneapolis, Minnesota – September 3, 2002 – Athletes in this year’s Twin
Cities Marathon (TCM) will be able to drop unwanted clothes and equipment
mid-way through the 26.2-mile course. GEAR Running Store will sponsor the
project, called the GEAR Drop Zone.
The GEAR Drop Zone will be located at approximately TCM Mile 5. Marathoners
who add a few extra items of clothing for the chilly morning race start --
caps, gloves, shirts, etc. -- can shed those items in the GEAR Drop Zone.
Participants are invited to stop by the GEAR Running Store booth at the TCM
HealthFair 11 Fitness Expo and pick up a tag to identify any items they
plan to drop. The expo is open on Friday, September 27 (12:00 p.m.-8:00
p.m.) and Saturday, September 28 (10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) at the Touchstone
Energy® Place at RiverCentre, in St. Paul. If an athlete is unable to
visit the expo booth, self-tagged items are also accepted. Participants
can visit the GEAR Running Store at 4406 France Avenue South in Minneapolis
during special pick-up hours on Marathon Sunday to collect their items.
For more information on picking up dropped items, visit
www.gearrunningstore.com.
GEAR Running Store owner Mike McCollow came up with the idea for the GEAR
Drop Zone during the 2001 TCM. "Knowing how the weather changes during the
course of the race, I told the members of our GEAR Race Team that if they
had clothes they wanted to get rid of, I’d meet them at Mile 5 or 6 and
they could throw the stuff to me." McCollow realized that all runners might
be interested in such an opportunity, and made the Drop Zone official for
the 2002 marathon. McCollow says that unclaimed items will be cleaned and
donated to various charities.
"GEAR Running Store has been affiliated with the Twin Cities Marathon for a
long time," says store owner Mike McCollow. "We’ve got a great relationship
-- one that I’m confident will last as long as we’re both still in the Twin
Cities."
The 2002 TCM weekend is September 27-29. TCM will host the 2002 USA Men’s,
Women’s and Masters Marathon Championships. The three-day weekend
celebration of fitness includes a 5K fun run/walk, children’s fun runs, a
pasta dinner, a two-day health and fitness expo, and a 10-mile race in
addition to the marathon. Major corporate sponsors for the marathon are
Cub Foods, Calhoun Beach Club and Seagate Technology. The major media
sponsors are KARE 11 and Cities 97. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. is a
non-profit organization that directs the TCM weekend as a community service
for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Visit us at www.twincitiesmarathon.org.
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