Runners Can Win $100K Or "Beat The Karhu Bear" At 13.1® Marathon New York On Saturday, April 2

Online, March 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Two exciting promotions highlight the 13.1 Marathon® New York road race when thousands of runners take to beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, April 2.

US Road Sports & Entertainment Group (USRS) will award $100,000, the largest single half marathon prize in U.S. history, to the winner of 13.1 Marathon® New York (or any other Marathon®13.1 Series race) whose winning time breaks the World Half Marathon Record. Additionally, USRS will award $50,000 to any U.S. citizen who wins any 13.1 Marathon® Series race and whose winning time breaks the U.S. Half Marathon Record.

Because Karhu mean's 'bear' in Finnish, The Karhu 5K, a division of the 13.1 Marathon® New York, Karhu invites racers to try to "Beat the Karhu Bear," a costumed runner, to win a free pair of Karhu running shoes of their choice. "The Bear" will be worn by Mark Carbone, an elite amateur triathlete and marathoner who lives in New York. The first 10 runners to "Beat the Bear" on April 2 will win the shoes, while anyone else whose time is better than Carbone will win a commemorative T-shirt.

The current half marathon record holders in each category are:

Men's World - Zersenay Tadese (58:23)
Men's U.S. - Ryan Hall (59:43)
Women's World - Lornah Kiplagat (1:06:25)
Women's U.S. - Deena Kastor (1:07:34)

Says US Road Sports & Entertainment Group's CEO, Greg Laird:

"I challenge every runner in the world to break the World Half Marathon Record at one of US Road Sports' 13.1® Marathon Series races. There is nothing I would enjoy more than handing a $100,000 check to an athlete at one of our races. Bring on the competition."

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.
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.