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For Immediate Release

Monday, August 2, 2010

Contact(s)

Megan Bulla
500 Festival
317/614-6128
mbulla@500festival.com
www.500festival.com

NCAA
Gail Dent
Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117

INDIANAPOLIS  –   The 500 Festival announced today it has entered into a multi-year agreement to hold the 500 Festival Training Series, presented by OrthoIndy at the Hall of Champions in downtown Indianapolis. The 500 Festival Training Series is the official training program for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, scheduled for May 7, 2011. The official Training Series, combined of three events, is designed to allow participants the opportunity to gauge their progress in preparation for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. The three Training Series events gradually increase in distance to coincide with a typical training program’s schedule. Training Series dates for 2011 are: February 12 (5K); March 5 (10K) and April 9 (15K). 

"We are very excited to begin this agreement with the NCAA Hall of Champions,” said Kirk Hendrix, President and CEO, 500 Festival. “It’s fitting for our events which help prepare runners and walkers for the nation’s largest half marathon to begin and end on the campus of one of the most powerful associations in sports.”

“This is the perfect partnership for the NCAA Hall of Champions and we are so proud to help support the 500 Festival and its Training Series” said Damon Schoening, NCAA director of brand strategies and events. “The NCAA concentrates on learning and athletics, which is similar to the focus of the 500 Festival Training Series.  Competitors have an opportunity to learn what the race environment will be like while improving their athletic ability for competition.  The NCAA Hall of Champions is the perfect event venue to host the Series and we are committed to bringing more fun and excitement to the training at our facility.”  

The 500 Festival Training Series is the only official training program for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, allowing participants to run on part of the actual Mini-Marathon course and to use the ChronoTrack Bib timing and scoring device. 

Registration is available online at www.500festival.com for all Training Series events. Online registration will end three days prior to each event. The pre-registration cost is $12 (5K), $14 (10K) and $16 (15K). On-site registration is available for an additional $4 fee and begins 90 minutes before the event at the NCAA Hall of Champions. Participants can register for all three events for a pre-registration fee of $36, or on-site for $48.

Registration is also available online for the 2011 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the Finish Line 500 Festival 5K, both scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 7, 2011. The Mini-Marathon sold-out in 2010 with 35,000 participants and the 5K sold-out with 4,000 participants. 

Information on all of these events can be found at www.500festival.com. 

About the NCAA Hall of Champions

The NCAA Hall of Champions is a multi-purpose facility that celebrates the academic and athletic experiences of current and former NCAA student-athletes.  The Hall of Champions features interactive exhibits, relevant artifacts and memorabilia, as well as photos and video that feature all 23 NCAA sports and 88 championships.   The Hall of Champions is located in downtown Indianapolis in White River State Park and serves as a meeting and event facility, but also as a public attraction that supports the local community and NCAA membership initiatives.  The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities.  Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports.  For more information on the NCAA Hall of Champions or the NCAA, visit www.ncaahallofchampions or www.ncaa.org.

About 500 Festival

The mission of the 500 Festival is to advocate and celebrate the spirit, heritage and legacy of the Indianapolis 500®. Through social, cultural and educational events and programs, the 500 Festival enhances the quality of life for all citizens of our communities.

The 500 Festival, a not-for-profit volunteer organization, was created in 1957 to organize civic events celebrating the greatest race in the world. Over the past 53 years, the 500 Festival has grown to become one of the largest festivals in the nation.

Last year, over 500,000 Hoosiers and visitors participated in nearly 50 events and programs throughout the month of May. Whether they were athletes running the Mini, fourth grade students participating in the Education Program, families enjoying the state’s largest festival for kids or spectators being dazzled by one of the nation’s premier parades, they were there, celebrating the legacy.