Contact: Jennifer Gross, 858/450-6510

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - (December 28, 2000) - The 4th Annual Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon® will feature a new finish area at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Point Loma when it returns to San Diego on Sunday, June 3, 2001. The 26.2-mile race will follow a similar course as it did in 2000, starting in historic Balboa Park and taking participants through downtown and Mission Bay, but will end at MCRD rather than the former Naval Training Center in Point Loma.

"Due to a redevelopment project at the Naval Training Center, having the finish there was not an option," said Tim Murphy, president of Elite Racing, producer of the event. "With the generosity of the Marine Corps, we will have an even better finish at their incredible facility, raising the level of the entire event."

The finish line is located on the "Parade Deck" inside MCRD. A post race celebration will be held adjacent to the finish line on a large grassy area and will feature live music, food and festivities for marathoners and spectators.

The Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon route will be lined with 26 entertainment stages-featuring more than 40 bands. Participants will run and walk to the sounds of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, reggae, funk, oldies and more. After the race, participants will be treated to an evening concert featuring a premier headliner at Coors Amphitheatre.

Forty local high school cheerleading squads will add to the entertainment on the course, as they compete for cash and prizes in the U.S. Bank "Spirit on the Course" competition. Last year's winner Serra High School took home $1000 for their spirit, originality and creativity.

Marathon officials have limited the number of entries to 20,000, including a significant percentage reserved for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training participants. In the past three years, Team In Training members at the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon have generated a record $38.1 million (net) for the charity.

For more information on the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon or the new finish area at MCRD, contact Elite Racing at 5452 Oberlin Drive, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92121, call 858/450-6510 or visit www.RnRmarathon.com

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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.runningusa.org
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