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SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(June 8, 2000)--The Examiner Bay to Breakers 12K, adidas and GetFit.com joined Running USA as its final Founding Members. Running USA's 51 Founding Members are dedicated to improving the status and awareness of distance running in the United States through collective marketing and promotions and the development of American world-class stars. Founded in March 1999, Running USA is a partnership between USA Track & Field and leading entities of the sport of road running.

"The Examiner Bay to Breakers 12K is extremely pleased to join Running USA. Running USA is an amazing group of race directors and organizers, shoe companies, athletes and industry leaders who have come together in the spirit of inclusiveness to raise the profile of road racing in this country, support and develop U.S. athletes and promote increased participation. The Breakers is proud to be a part of such an organization," said Paulette Stracuzzi, Race Director.

Annually one of the world's largest races with over 70,000 official and unofficial participants, Bay to Breakers, held in May in San Francisco, is a mixture of the elite and the zany. Over the years, numerous 12K world road records have been set at the race including the current women's record of 38:23 set by Delillah Asiago in 1995. The recent 2000 race celebrated its 89th consecutive edition. For more information on the race, visit its website at www.baytobreakers.com.

Adidas, founded by Adi Dassler in Germany, began making sports shoes in the 1920s to be the best sports brand in the world. The history of adidas is one of consistently meeting the evolving needs of the athlete. Focusing more on function and less on fashion, adidas strives to provide athletes with shoes that can make a noticeable difference in their performance. That philosophy paid off in 1994, when adidas leapt from eighth to third in the United States Footwear Industry Rankings. Adidas America is based in Beaverton, Oregon.

Over the decades, many world class and Olympic medalists like Grete Waitz have triumphed in adidas shoes. The company currently sponsors 1996 10,000 meter gold medalist and world record holder in the 5000 and 10,000 meters Haile Gebrselassie along with many top Americans like Todd Williams, Cheri Kenah, Alan Culpepper, Jen Rhines and Mark Croghan. For more information on adidas, go to its website at www.adidas.com.

GetFit.com, launched in December 1999, is the premier online fitness training service. The first of its kind to tailor a personalized fitness program to each individual's goals and needs. The website uses proven training methods from world-class fitness trainers, athletes, coaches and physicians to build custom-designed fitness programs for people of all ages and fitness levels. GetFit's customers include corporations, athletic teams and organizations that want to provide their employees, athletes or members a new service that will help them reach their goals.

Based in Redwood Shores, California, GetFit was co-founded in 1998 by Stanford University graduates Reuven Levitt and Oded Felled. GetFit.com's advisory board includes an impressive slate of coaches, trainers and professional athletes such as Raymond Farris, personal trainer for Jerry Rice and Roger Craig; 6-time Ironman champion Dave Scott and U.S. Olympic decathlon and swim coaches among others.

Running USA is a national trade organization of top road races, running associations, members of the athletic industry, athlete legends and media. Its purpose is to promote road racing and raise its awareness among the public and corporate America. Its event members represent over 240 races including some of the leading ones in the U.S. with more than 750,000 participants, millions of spectators and $1.9 million in annual prize money.

For more information on Running USA and its objectives and Founding Members, go to its website ( http://www.runningusa.org ) or call Steve Edwards, (727) 363-7872 or Ryan Lamppa, (805) 696-6232.

Here are the 51 Running USA Founding Members:

USA Track & Field, adidas, active.com, All American Trail Running Association, Alta Peruvian Lodge Downhill Dash 8K, America's Finest City Half-Marathon, American Ultrarunning Association, Army Ten-Miler, ASICS Corporation, Bank of America Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K, Big Sur Int'l Marathon, BKB Ltd., Bolder Boulder 10K, ChampionChip, Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, City of Los Angeles Marathon, Columbus Marathon, Crim Festival of Races, Do*It*Sports, Elite Racing, EMMI, Examiner Bay to Breakers 12K, Florida Running Festival, Food Fitness International, Freihofer's Run for Women 5K, Gate River Run 15K, GetFit.com, Gold Medal Event Management, Indian Path Medical Center & SunTrust Bank Crazy 8's 8K, Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run, Kinane Events, Marty Liquori Productions, Methodist Health Care Houston Marathon, National Sports Network, New York City Marathon, Nike, Park Forest Scenic 10 Mile Run, PhotoRun, PowerBar, Quad-City Times Bix 7, RhodyCo Productions, Runner's World, The Running Network, Salmini Films Inc., Shooting Star Media, Steamboat Classic 4 Mile, Summit Exhibition Management, Tulsa Run 15K, Twin Cities Marathon, Utica Boilermaker 15K and Wharf to Wharf Race

Special thanks to 
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Coordinator for providing us this press release.
USATF Road Running Information Center
5522 Camino Cerralvo, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252
http://www.usaldr.org