RunAPalooza! To Bring Thousands to Asbury Park - and Raise Thousands as Well

Online, April 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - For the 14th consecutive year, RunAPalooza!, a multi-event festival of exercise, food and fun, will draw more than 3,000 participants, volunteers and spectators to the boardwalk of Asbury Park for a day of races, fun, and sun. Set for Saturday, April 17 and hosted by the Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC), RunAPalooza includes several marquee events, including the second annual Asbury Park Half Marathon, a 26.2-mile, five-leg Jersey Shore Relay race, and the JSRC Two-Mile Walk for Special Olympics New Jersey.

Last year's RunAPalooza event drew 3500 participants and more than three times as many spectators, according to the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, and this year's event promises more of the same.

In addition to the races and walk, RunAPalooza will also feature a Health and Wellness Expo, free entertainment by live bands such as the Fin-Dicators, acoustic Goldenseal, Jersey Souls, Lady Southpaw, and Mercer Avenue, DJ Pat Pierson, hot food from Serpico's for both participants and their guests, and beverages, including beer for the over-21 crowd. With the generous support of organizations such as Madison Marquette, The Berkeley Ocean Front Hotel, Red Bank Limo, Nestle, La Yogurt(R), Wakefern Foods/ShopRite, Asbury Park Fire Department, Alpha Kappa Psi, and the New Jersey Elks' Southeast District Special Children's Committee, among others, the RunAPalooza post-race festivities inside Convention Hall, including a buffet, beverages, and the Expo, are open to non-participants for a $20 donation. The event will be hosted by The Breeze 107.1 FM, which will provide music and giveaway prizes to attendees.

The goal of RunAPalooza is to raise funds for charities. The organizers of RunAPalooza events, including the race directors, webmaster, and race committee, are volunteers who receive no compensation for their time. As such, 100% of the funds raised by participants go directly to Special Olympics New Jersey. Race Director Bob Both is pleased the event has been supporting Special Olympics for more than a decade.

"We have held the line on our low race fees, but with persistent economic burdens hitting charities so hard this year, we are again encouraging our event participants to do what they can to contribute with additional fund-raising activities," said Both. "We are proud to be involved for our 20th year with Special Olympics, which does such great things for intellectually disabled kids who need so badly to succeed in something."

"RunAPalooza makes it easy for both runners and walkers to build their own fundraising web pages," Both continued. "Once again, prizes will be awarded to all members of teams who contribute additional donations. This year, we are offering a special incentive: customized wind jackets for those teams."

"Special Olympics New Jersey is proud to once again be the beneficiary or the Jersey Shore Running Club's RunAPalooza event. Each year the event gets bigger and better and it is so well organized," said Heather Bell Andersen, Senior Director of Corporate Development for Special Olympics New Jersey. "Funds raised from RunAPalooza this year will help support over 21,000 Special Olympic athletes from across the state train in 24 sports and participate in more than 150 competitive opportunities. All programs are free of charge to the athlete."

Below is a summary of all RunAPalooza events:

• RunAPalooza Health and Wellness Expo
• Jersey Shore Relay Race
• Asbury Park Half Marathon
• JSRC Two-Mile Walk for Special Olympics New Jersey
• Post-Party and Concert at the Finish at Convention Hall with free food, beverages, and live music

Below is detailed information about each of the events. All events are at Asbury Park Convention Hall unless otherwise noted.

RunAPalooza Health and Wellness Expo
In conjunction with RunAPalooza, there will be a Health and Wellness Expo inside Asbury Park Convention Hall from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Space is still available for potential sponsors, which can purchase a space for as little as $100. More than 3,000 runners, walkers, volunteers, and spectators from the day's events are expected to attend. The Expo will include free samples of food and beverages from vendors like La Yogurt, Nestle, Serpico's and others. For Expo information, contact Pat Hancock at (732) 783-7526 or [email protected].

Jersey Shore Relay Race
• The Jersey Shore Relay is a 26-mile team relay that starts in Seaside Heights, winds north through all the shore towns along the boardwalk and some neighborhood streets, and finishes along the boardwalk up to Convention Hall in Asbury Park.
• The staggered start begins at 8:00 a.m. at Aztec Ocean Resort, Boardwalk at Sherman Ave., Seaside Heights
• The race is one of the most well-managed and scenic in the area, with a course hugging the Jersey Shore through the following towns: Seaside Heights, Ortley Beach, Lavallette, Mantoloking, Brick Beach, Bay Head, Point Pleasant Beach, Brielle, Manasquan, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Belmar, Avon, Bradley Beach, Ocean Grove, and finishing in Asbury Park.
• While most runners do the race in legs of 3 to 6 miles each as part of a team of up to five people, some more hardy athletes plan to run the entire 26.2-mile course themselves as part of an Iron Man event.

Asbury Park Half Marathon
• The course is USATF Certified, which is important for runners qualifying for other half and full marathons, such as the ING New York City Marathon.
• Race-Day Registration and Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. at Convention Hall; Race Starts at 8:30 AM.
• All pre-entrants will receive a long sleeved Dri-Release shirt (a different shirt from the other events).
• Awards will be presented for best overall and also in age groups.

JSRC Two-Mile Walk for Special Olympics New Jersey
• 2-Mile Family Friendly Fun Walk along the Boardwalk & through downtown Asbury Park.
• Start and finish at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
• Race-Day Registration and Check-in starts at 9:00 a.m. Walk begins at 10:15 a.m.
• All pre-registered participants will receive a long sleeved mock turtleneck event shirt.

RunAPalooza participants wishing to stay in Asbury Park the night before the event have access to a limited number of rooms at a discounted rate at the Berkeley Ocean Front Hotel (formerly the Berkeley-Carteret), which is located adjacent to Convention Hall. Participants may call (732) 776-6700 and ask for the "RunAPalooza" rate. In addition, The Inn at Ocean Grove, Which is walking distance from Convention Hall, is offering a special "Any Room Any Night $99" rate. Participants may call (732) 775-8847.

For more information, visit http://www.RunAPalooza.org.

About Special Olympics New Jersey
Special Olympics New Jersey provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. For more information about Special Olympics New Jersey, visit www.sonj.org.

About Jersey Shore Running Club
The Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC) is the largest running club in New Jersey, with more than 1,500 members. Dedicated both to running and to the community, JSRC members enjoy both the camaraderie of running with friends and participation in a wide range of social, running and community minded activities, many of which support local neighborhood and charitable organizations. Every year, through more than 50 of its own sponsored events and others in which it is an active participant, JSRC raises more than half a million dollars for area charitable groups such as Special Olympics New Jersey, The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, the Arthritis Foundation, and many other worthwhile causes.

JSRC offers a variety of benefits, including group runs several times a week, planned social events, discounts on race entry fees, a monthly newsletter, and an up-to-date website. For more information, visit www.jsrc.org.