atlanta marathon

ING, a financial services company that sponsors New York City and other marathons around the country, is the new Hartford Marathon title sponsor.

A three-year contract with an option to renew was announced Monday. United Technologies, the title sponsor since 2002, will be a presenting sponsor.

ING sponsors marathons in Atlanta, Miami, Amsterdam, Brussels, Ottawa and Taipei, as well as the Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco. The ING Georgia marathon, a first-time race in March, had 15,000 entrants and 13,000 finishers, including 4,300 in the marathon and 8,900 in the half-marathon.




Race director Beth Shluger expects the number of Hartford's entrants to rise as ING will be able to make the race, which started in 1994, more visible nationally. Last month, 1,600 finished the marathon, 2,479 the half-marathon and 708 the accompanying 5K.

"They are banking on Hartford being one of the most important locations for marathoning in the country," Shluger said. "They are completely dedicated to long distance running and marathons."

Shluger would not comment on the specific financial details of the sponsorship package. She did say there would be more events for children, tying into current marathon programs, and possibly a concert.

"You're going to see a whole different weekend next year," she said. "There will be more ancillary events surrounding the marathon. People are going to sit up and take notice of it."

The marathon, which will be known as the ING Hartford Marathon and Half-Marathon, will take place Oct. 11, 2008.


wanting to do the 46th Atlanta Marathon/Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving Day are running out of time to enter.

Online registration for what organizers call the oldest marathon in the South closes Sunday at midnight, according to race registrar Andy Carr. Cost is $35 for the half-marathon and $50 for the full 26.2 miles. You can register at atlantatrackclub.org.

In-person registration will be accepted until 8 p.m. Tuesday at the race expo at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. Cost is $60 for the half and $70 for the marathon.

Carr said around 8,000 runners are expected for the half-marathon, and 750 to 800 for the marathon. Both races finish at Turner Field. Some of the top runners include:

• Marathon: Previous champions Mark Coughlin of Lawrenceville and Scott Lowe of Canton are in the men's field and should contend for a high finish. The women's race is "wide open," according to Carr.

• Half-Marathon: Former women's champion Donna Garcia of Marietta, who has won four of the past six years, returns. Men's defending champ Michael Green of Atlanta hasn't registered, but "he's leaning that he's probably going to run," Carr said. Also in the men's half is Josh McAdams of Utah, the reigning USA Track and Field 3000 steeplechase champ.


Kids event also runs Thursday

There are openings for the Atlanta Track Club's inaugural Kilometer Kids 1 mile fun run (11:30 a.m. Thursday, Turner Field). Kids ages 7-12 can register in person at Tuesday and Wednesday at the race expo. Cost is
thanks: rain, followed by more rain.

The National Weather Service said an approaching storm system will "bring us a soggy and potentially stormy Thanksgiving."

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Participants in Thursday morning's annual Atlanta Marathon will likely be plodding through puddles, since the forecast calls for a high probability of rain overnight Wednesday and into Thanksgiving.

Rainfall amounts are expected to total around a half-inch before tapering off Thursday night. After a dry day Friday, the rain is expected to return through the rest of the holiday weekend, the Weather Service said.

A cold snap will accompany the wet weather. Afternoon readings on Thanksgiving will be much cooler than earlier in the week, when Tuesday's high of 73 was 11 degrees above normal. Turkey Day temperatures will struggle to reach the upper 50s, forecasters said.

Thursday night will be partly cloudy and colder, with lows dipping into the upper 30s.

Friday will be mostly sunny and dry, with highs in the mid-50s and lows Friday night near freezing.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Lakes Lanier and Allatoona, is predicting a total of 2 to 3 inches of rain in north Georgia through the weekend, potentially the most significant rainfall to hit the drought-stricken region since early March.

Cloudy skies and a 40 percent chance of rain are forecast for Saturday and the big football game at Grant Field between Georgia and Georgia Tech.

The chance of rain increases to 70 percent Saturday night, with lows in the upper 30s.

The drive home from holiday weekend trips could be soggy, as a 60 percent chance of rain is predicted for both Sunday and Monday.

doesn't quite equal the Peachtree Road Race in the eyes of Atlantans, but the annual Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Marathon (and half-marathon) has its place in the city's running history. Here's a look at the race:



A lot alike



With the Atlanta Track Club sponsoring both races, it's a no-brainer there would be connections between the Peachtree Road Race and the Atlanta Marathon.



Start at the pavement. Much of the Peachtree's 10-kilometer course down Peachtree is incorporated in the marathon (and half-marathon) course, including Cardiac Hill past Piedmont Hospital.



Then there are the faces. Olympians Jeff Galloway and Gayle Barron, fixtures in the Atlanta running community, both won Atlanta Marathon and Peachtree titles. Former Atlanta Track Club executive director Julia Emmons, who directed the Peachtree through 20 years of tremendous growth until retiring last year, won an Atlanta Marathon in 1978. Peachtree founder Tim Singleton also directed the marathon from 1966-74.



But what makes both races "Atlanta" is the community connection. While Peachtree attracts world-class runners with its prize money (the marathon and half-marathon races do not), it's become more of a get-together than a food race for most local runners. The marathon and half-marathon entry lists are mostly filled with runners from Georgia and the South.



Second serving



The Peachtree Road Race in July is the biggest event each year for the Atlanta Track Club, but Thursday's Atlanta Marathon and Half-Marathon has its place in history. Here's a comparison of the club's two defining races.