Air Force Marathon to open registration on Jan. 1

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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The Air Force Marathon has announced that they will open registration for the 2011 marathon on Saturday, January 1st, with special sale pricing for New Year's Day.

The 15th annual event will be held on Saturday, September 17th at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. In addition to a full 26.2 mile marathon, runners can also compete in a 13.1 mile half marathon, a 10K run or a 5K race.

Marathon organizers are encouraging runners to register early this year. "In 2010, every single event sold out, with more than 12,000 runners registering," said Molly Louden, Race Director. "We are increasing our race caps to 13,000 this year in order to accommodate those runners who didn't register in time last year, but we fully expect to sell out even earlier this year," she added.

The Air Force Marathon also offers two pre-race meals: the Breakfast of Champions and the Gourmet Pasta Dinner, both to be held on Friday, September 16. Tickets to both events can be purchased during race registration, and both events sold out in 2010. There will also be a two-day Sports and Fitness Expo on September 15 and 16th at Wright State University's Nutter Center, and this event is free and open to the public. In 2010, the combined events brought an estimated $3.5-$4.7 million into the Dayton region over the three-day period.

To take advantage of this special New Year's Day pricing, runners must register online at www.usafmarathon.com. For more information, call the Marathon office at 257-4350.

The Air Force Marathon is presented by Northrop Grumman, USAA and Boeing. It is held annually on the third Saturday in September to celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. To commemorate our rich history in flight, each year one aircraft is chosen to be highlighted, and in 2011 the featured aircraft will be the B-1B Lancer. The B-1 Bomber is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, providing massive and rapid delivery of precision and non-precision weapons against any potential adversary anywhere around the globe on short notice.