13.1® Marathon New York Returns To Flushing Meadows Corona Park On Saturday, April 2

Online, February 9, 2011 (Newswire.com) - NEW YORK - The nationwide 13.1 Marathon® Series returns to beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, April 2, bringing the popular eight-city tour to Queens for its New York stop. The second annual half-marathon will be joined again this year by the Karhu 5K race, providing opportunities for serious runners as well as newcomers to the sport for a fun-filled day in the shadows of the USTA National Tennis Center, New York Hall of Science, the Queens Wildlife Center and the Unisphere.

"New York is a running town, and we are excited to be bringing the 13.1 Marathon® back to Queens," said Greg Laird, Founder and CEO of US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, which operates the 13.l Marathon® Series. "And the Karhu 5K allows everyone to participate in a great day that supports an important cause, and maybe even to 'Beat the Bear' and win a free pair of Karhu running shoes."

Because Karhu mean's 'bear' in Finnish, The Karhu 5K invites racers to try to "Beat the Bear." Any runner who "beats the Karhu bear," a costumed mascot running the race, during the 5K and crosses the finish line before the bear, will be presented with a ticket good for a free pair of Karhu running shoes of their choice.

The 13.1® New York half-marathon begins at 9:13 a.m. in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium and continues around the park, which was the site of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs. The walker-friendly course will remain open for 3 hours and 30 minutes, a 16 minute/mile pace.

The Karhu 5K race will start at 9:05 a.m., on a separate course within Flushing Meadows Park.

Racers are invited to join the official benefiting charity, Team World Vision to raise funds for clean water projects in Kenya and Malawi while training with local team groups. For more information on Team World Vision please visit www.worldvision.org.

All participants that complete the half marathon race at the 13.1 Marathon® New York will receive a unique spinning finishers medal. All age group award medals will be distributed from the Results tent at the finish line on race day - so don't forget to stop by, get your official finishing time and check it you won an award. Custom design medals will be awarded three deep in 14 different age groups ranging from 12-14 to 75+ for both males and females.

Registration is currently open at www.131newyork.com. Fees for the 13.1 are $80 per runner until March 30, $100 walk-up; for the Karhu 5K they are $20 until March 30, $25 walk-up.

The 13.1 Marathon New York is the third in the eight-city Series, which includes races in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Minneapolis. Connect with the 13.1 Marathon Series via Facebook at www.facebook.com/131marathon or on Twitter at @131Marathon.

About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city's culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.

About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.