Thank You, Participants!

Thanks to each of you for taking part in the 2009 Cleveland Experience! We set a record with 12,400 registrants for race weekend events!

The new course, new 5K, expo and Kid's Run all seemed to be a big hit. We hope you are proud of your accomplishments this past weekend!

On behalf of Rite Aid and our other great sponsors - congratulations and thank you for being a part of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K. Be sure to register today to reserve your spot early for the 2010 Cleveland Experience!



Registration Open for 2010 Cleveland Experience

We anticipate the 33rd annual race to be even bigger and better, so register early to save your spot.

NEW - through July 1, we are offering an extra discount for super early bird registrations! Register today and save!



Support Our Sponsors

"The Cleveland Experience" is made possible by our race sponsors. Please show your thanks by supporting them whenever possible.

The 32nd annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K was made possible by the following sponsors:
Rite Aid
American Greetings
Stoppain        Celestial
Carmex         StimUDent
Hershey's      Coke
Payday          Smuckers
BP                 vitamin water



Perfect 10 Miler

Looking for a great summer race? Join us for the Perfect 10 Miler or SELREC 5K on Sunday, August 16.

10-Miler: 7:30 AM
5K: 7:40 AM

Brush High School
4875 Glenlyn Road
Lyndhurst, OH 44124

Register today at www.perfect10miler.com!

**Remember! This year, the marathon and half start at 7:00 AM.
10K begins at 7:15 AM.

Run for a Reason
Cleveland Marathon Charities:

The Cleveland Marathon has donated more than $1 million to local charities since its inception in 1977. Millions more have been raised by participating groups.
In 2007, Cleveland Marathon Charities, a 501c3, was formed to organize and financially reward school, church and other non-profit groups that show their support of health and fitness through running by their active involvement as participants, volunteers or spectators in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.
Our 2009 Partner Charities are listed below. To learn more about becoming a CMC partner, or running on behalf of one of our charity partners, please contact us at (440) 665-4318 or cmcharities@clevelandmarathon.com.

~Gold Partners
Team in Training
Why not make this exciting event the experience of a lifetime? Join our Team in Training® Program. You'll train with the team, receive quality coaching and be matched with a local cancer survivor who'll motivate you every step of the way.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Help the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) reach the ultimate finish line, a cure for multiple myeloma, by joining the MMRF Race for Research team at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon or Half Marathon.

TBB Thinking Beyond Borders
TBB is a non-profit organization that takes graduating high school seniors around the world for 8 months to study the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, sustainable agriculture in India, public education in China, environmental conservation in Vietnam, and clean water issues in Ecuador.

Asia's Hope
Team Hope exists to support the ministry of Asia's Hope, a non-profit organization committed to rescuing orphans in Thailand and Cambodia. Members of Team Hope individually raise funds that will go directly to support the orphan home of Wooster Grace Brethren Church in Wooster, OH.

ITP Foundation - Team Stephanie
The ITP Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to battling ITP, a rare bleeding disorder, in children and adolescents. Stephanie Lyn Lufkin, a 7-year-old Cleveland native, passed away in May of 2008 from complications due to ITP.

OAR Run for Autism
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national, nonprofit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism and Asperger Syndrome. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their questions.

~Silver Partners
CTF Children's Tumor Foundation
Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a debilitating genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow randomly throughout the body on nerve sheaths. NF occurs in more than one in 3,000 births - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Huntington's Disease combined, and many of those who struggle with NF are children.

The Arc of Greater Cleveland
Runners and walkers participating in the Cleveland Marathon races are challenged to go faster or farther than they ever have before. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), every day is a challenge as they strive to live in a world that is not always understanding or supportive of their needs and their rights.

~Bronze Partners
A Running Start Foundation
A Running Start Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to using the power of sports to improve the lives of youngsters in impoverished but talent-rich parts of Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Run M.S.
While you may not know what it feels like living with multiple sclerosis, you can make a move that will affect the lives of those who do. Every day, we're moving closer to the cure. But we can't do it without you. By joining Run MS, you become a part of the powerful movement that will end MS forever!

Team TSA
With every step TEAM TSA members help the Tourette Syndrome Association get One Lap Closer To A Cure! The Tourette Syndrome Association is a national non-profit health organization with chapters across the country.

A Spark of Hope
Pediatric blood cancers continue to devastate over 100,000 children and their families a year. The lives of Hope Fimiani, age 2 and Michael Sparkman, age 7, tragically ended in October 2008 as a result of Leukemia and Lymphoma. The non-profit foundation, A SPARK OF HOPE, has recently been established by Michael and Hope's families to provide financial and emotional support to children and families recently diagnosed.

NEW COURSES ANNOUNCED

After months of hard work and planning, we are pleased to announce our new and improved marathon, half marathon and 10K courses for the 2009 race on Sunday, May 17.

We took your comments from the survey in 2008 and have been working hard ever since with professional course planners, the city event committee and many other city entities to create the course of your dreams! We hope you enjoy the new course and we look forward to seeing you all on race weekend!

Register today for your Cleveland Experience on the new course!

~Tell Us Your Story!

Why are you running the Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K?
Have you had interesting or unusual running experiences in the past? Are you running in honor of someone or something special to you?

Please send us your story via the form on our website. We really appreciate hearing from you. It helps keep us in touch. Your story may be shared with the media, but you will be contacted before hand in order to give approval.

~Pick the Playlist

Rock Hall Runners - here's your chance to pick the music you will hear on the course on race day! Please visit our website to vote for your favorite song in each category.

Each of the 12 Pick the Playlist stations will play the top three songs from each category with the highest number of votes.

Each station will contain music from two years of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

~Free Cavs Tickets

Cavs As a registered participant in the 32nd Annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K, you are eligible for a COMPLIMENTARY ticket to a 2009 November or December Cleveland Cavaliers game with the purchase of an additional ticket!

CLICK HERE to download your Cavs ticket voucher.

~Wanna Win BP Gas?

BP gasoline with Invigorate® Helps Cars Run Younger for Longer®

BP is supporting the Cleveland Marathon, in an effort to promote its gasoline, BP gasoline with Invigorate - a unique formula that helps clean and protect your engine to help your car run younger for longer.

Stop by BP's booth (#918) at the Expo to learn more about BP gasoline with Invigorate. BP is also giving everyone that visits their booth the opportunity to get a free photo finishing a virtual marathon and create personalized cheer signs for their favorite marathoner.

You'll even have the opportunity to earn BP gift cards!

The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K is now 11 weeks away and we've been working hard to add a number of new additions to race weekend to make this the best "Cleveland Experience" yet.
 
Recently we have:

• Added a 5K
  
  
• Gone Green
  
  
• Created a Pick Your Playlist program
  
  
• Got Connected (socially)
  
  
• Partnered with the Circus

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5K Added on Saturday, May 16

Rite Aid Cleveland 5K to Benefit the MMRF This is a great chance for walkers or runners to join the events of race weekend or even to stretch your legs the day before the big race! The event will take place at Shooters in The Flats, 1148 Main Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113 beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 16.   Stick around afterward for a post race party at Shooters.   Register today! The Rite Aid Cleveland 5K to Benefit the MMRF has no limit on the size of the field and requires no qualifying time to enter. All 5K runners will receive a goodie bag and T-shirt.   About MMRF The mission of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. MM, a cancer of the plasma cell, is an incurable but treatable disease.

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Going Green

We're doing our part to the help the environment! Runners who took advantage of the early bird gift will be receiving their eco-friendly beanies in March and April. The beanies are from Greenlayer, an earth-friendly apparel company out of Oregon.  They are made of 100% eco friendly materials including recycled micro fleece.   And in a major effort to help the planet - the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon will be proving an online, downloadable results book.  For years, we have printed and mailed thousands of results books,  now in 2009 the book will be available to all participants in a downloadable PDF format on the website.  You can search and download your page only, or the entire book.

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Rock Out in the Rock and Roll Capital

Pick the Playlist! In the next month, the Cleveland Marathon will be posting a page on our website that allows runners to Pick the Playlist for race day.  Runners can vote on their favorite Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees' songs that will play at 12 music stations along the course.

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Red Nose Children's Run

The Kids' Run will be revamped this year  - Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Red Nose Children's Run will feature the same great races and even more entertainment for kids 12 and under.  The first 500 kids that register will get a free admission voucher for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM on October 21-26, 2009 at Quicken Loans Arena. Register your child today.