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Running Tour of Music City Updates Race Route

Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan Returns for a 12^th Year

New Course to Highlight Scenery, Runner Experience

Nashville, TN – February 24, 2011 – The musical miles that wind through Nashville each spring will feature a few changes as the 12^th annual Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan returns on Saturday, April 30^th. The event remains the largest running event in the state of Tennessee, bringing more than 30,000 runners and walkers to the Nashville area, along with thousands of spectators, friends and family.

The scenic running tour of Music City will feature live, local bands at nearly every mile, cheerleading teams, and themed water stations, offering motivation and entertainment along both the 13.1 and 26.2 mile courses. Runners will enjoy many of Nashville’s most historic sites like the Parthenon, Nashville’s world-renowned Music Row and an expansive finish line festival outside the Tennessee Titan’s home, LP Field, located along the Cumberland River.
The redesigned course will offer a familiar start line at Centennial Park, and will still finish at LP Field, but on the north side on 1^st Street to accommodate more participant parking. Other notable changes include eliminating the out and back on Belmont Boulevard and instead redirecting south on Belmont and back north toward Music Row on Granny White Pike, removing a stretch of the full marathon course through Metro Center and adding a run through the east Nashville neighborhoods. Changes were made primarily to enhance the runner experience by alleviating crowding, and highlighting spectator-heavy areas and scenic routes.

“After more than a decade in Nashville, we are continuing to learn and grow and will always do our best to make this the best possible experience for both the city and our race participants,” said Adam Zocks, General Manager. “We’re proud of the tradition this race has become locally and look forward to celebrating our 12^th year here.”

Full course information and maps can be found online at www.nashville.competitor.com.

The Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan will begin at 7:00am on Saturday, April 30^th. After celebrating their accomplishment with a post-race concert and finish line festival at LP Field, runners will have the best ticket in town as Nashville legends Montgomery Gentry take the stage at Bridgestone Arena later that evening for the headliner concert.

Runners can get prepared for race day at the Health & Fitness Expo presented by Power Balance on Thursday, April 28^th and Friday, April 29^th The expo is free and open to the public and takes place at the Nashville Convention Center. A runner’s ultimate resource, the Expo brings together nearly 100 exhibitors offering the best in gear, nutrition, and training along with legendary running experts and athletes hosting interactive clinics.

More than 4,700 kids in grades K-7 will run a marathon of their own at ING KiDS ROCK Nashville on Friday, April 29^th. The cumulative kids marathon program aims to tackle childhood obesity by demonstrating that physical activity can be fun and instilling a lifetime love of fitness. ING KiDS ROCK Nashville is sold out.

For more information or to register, visit competitor.com.

About the Country Music Marathon

A Competitor event, the Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon will celebrate its 12th annual running in Music City on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Featuring many of Nashville’s best live bands on 28 stages along the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses, the musically themed road annually attracts 35,000 runners, walkers and junior racers.  Race weekend kicks off with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Thursday, April 28 and includes the ING KiDS ROCK Nashville and a post-race concert Saturday night at the Bridgestone Arena.  The Nashville Convention Center is home to the free Health & Fitness Expo which is open to the public as all race participants pick up their race number, browse through fitness related products, enjoy free samples and interactive clinics. For more information, please visit www.nashville.competitor.com or follow us on Twitter @runrocknroll.

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