FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SECOND ANNUAL RUNNING

AND FITNESS FESTIVAL SET

DANVILLE, VA, August 24, 2006 -- On your mark, get set, and go! Over 350 runners and walkers from Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland are expected to participate in Danville Community College’s Second Annual Virginia Bank & Trust Running & Fitness Festival set for Saturday, September 9. Proceeds from the race will benefit the proposed new Student Center at DCC, as well as local high school cross-country runners.

“This event encompasses entertainment and fitness for the entire community --from children to adults,” says Albert “Buddy” Rawley, DCC Director of Development.

This USA Track & Field (USATF) Certified Sanctioned event includes five different races: the Danville Half-Marathon, the River City 5K, One Mile Adult Run, One Mile Walk, and a Half-Mile Children’s Run for ages 12 and under. The events are scheduled to begin on a staggered basis, starting at 8 a.m. with the half-marathon, and concluding at 11:30 a.m. with the half-marathon awards ceremony. The River City 5K will be held at the Crossing at the Dan, starting at 8:30 a.m.; the other four events are being held on DCC’s main campus, 1008 South Main Street.

The distances for each race have been measured by a USATF representative to ensure that the distances are legitimate, says Vince Decker, Associate Professor of Business Management, and one of the race’s directors.

“This way, runners can be assured that the half-marathon distance is exactly 13.1 miles and the 5K distance is exactly 5000 meters,” Decker explains. “Prior to the first annual race, a USATF representative measured the longer courses, sanctioned the race distances, and approved the races’ management.”

This event follows the heels of last year’s successful First Annual Virginia Bank & Trust Running & Fitness Festival, which initially began as a fundraiser for DCC’s Student Center project,” explains Rawley.  He notes DCC has met $1 million of its $1.5 million goal to begin construction on the new student center, which will be located in the center of the campus between the Hawkins Engineering and Industrial Technologies Building and the Clement Learning Resources Center.  Rawley estimates this year’s event may surpass $11,000.

Last year, two DCC professors put their long distance running and race-directing experience to work on the new student center fundraiser. Decker and John Wilt, Associate Professor of Administration of Justice, directed the first festival last year  which had nearly 300 runners between the four running events. The event raised several thousand dollars for the new student center and scholarships for local high-school cross-country runners, states Decker.

“The proceeds from the River City 5K go to a scholarship fund specifically for high school cross-county runners going on to college,” explains Decker. “The River City 5K has been in existence for 30 years and when the half-marathon was added, the race committee decided to continue funding the scholarships.”

 Event planning has been a continuous process, says Decker. He says the race committee, race directors, and nearly 100 race volunteers from the DCC staff, faculty, student body, the Danville Running and Fitness Club, and community are investing hundreds of hours to make this second event even more successful.

 The creation of the Innovative Finisher’s Medal for all Half Marathon finishers is just one example of the time, effort, and preparation that has been devoted to the race. Decker says Justin Powell, a student in the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design program, designed the medals and they were fabricated using DCC’s Selective Laster Sintering Prototyper at the Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training.

Race participants will receive cash prizes and awards. Danville Half-Marathon runners will receive the following monetary awards totaling $650: first place overall male and female will receive $125, second place overall male and female will receive $75, third place overall male and female will receive $50, and first place overall male and female masters (age 20 and over) will receive $75.

Also, the top three men and women in the following age groups will receive custom-made awards: 17 and under; 18-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; and 60-over.

The River City 5K Marathon will offer the following monetary awards totaling $400: first place overall male and female will receive $75, second place overall male and female will receive $50, third place overall male and female will receive $25, and first place overall male and female masters (age 40 +)  will receive $50.

            Trophies will also be awarded to the first three male and female overall and to the first three males and females in each age group (0-19, every 10 years up to 69, 70 and over) in the 5K Walk. Also, high school and corporate teams with the best overall finish in the 5K events will receive a plaque.

            .Decker also hopes the runner participation increases over the next few years.

“DCC is concerned about developing the whole individual – mind, spirit, and body,” Decker says. “Of course I would like to see the half-marathon grow to maybe 300 runners, but the race committee is very interested in seeing a significant growth in DCC student participation in the one mile run and walk.

“As an extra incentive, DCC students can enter the one-mile events free and they will be entered into a drawing to win a tank of gasoline!” adds Decker.

 Decker says three fill-ups will be awarded, with a $50 maximum each. The deadline to register for the one mile walk and run is 10:30 a.m. on the day of the event – Sept. 9. The registration fee for the One Mile Adult Run and the One Mile Walk for participants who are not DCC students or employees is $12, which includes an event t- shirt.

Registration is being conducted now for each of the five events. There are special incentives and reduced costs for advanced registration, Decker notes. Registration for the Danville Half-Marathon is available online for $25 until August 31, and $30 after that. Runners or walkers who wish to participate in the River City 5K race may pay $15 for early registration before race day and $18 on race day. Participants for the Half-Mile Children’s Run for ages 12 & under must pay $10 including the shirt, or $5 without a shirt.

As a convenience, a trolley and shuttle vans will be available to take the runners from one area to another between 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., adds Decker. Runners may park either on DCC’s campus or at the Crossing at the Dan (Carrington Pavilion).

“We hope that this will become an annual event, even after the fundraiser for the new student center is completed,” says Rawley. “We would like for this event to foster physical fitness awareness throughout the college campus and the communities that we serve.”

The City of Danville Parks, Recreation and Tourism Office is also involved with the event because of the number of out-of-towners being attracted to the area because of this event, says Rawley.

“An event that attracts large numbers of people to an area is considered a tool of economic development,” explains Rawley.

Decker agrees that sporting events can have a significant positive impact on the local economy. If the event continues to grow, he says the primary impact will be from the out-of-town guests occupying hotel rooms, dining in local restaurants, and shopping.

The local sponsors of the Second Annual Virginia Bank & Trust Running & Fitness Festival are: Virginia Bank & Trust, Improved Order of Redmen, Dr. and Mrs. Carlyle Ramsey, Kelly Rentals, Abercrombie Oil Co., Marriott Courtyard of Danville, Barkhouser Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Isuzu (Mr. And Mrs. Richard Barkhouser), Commonwealth Pharmacy, Pete Castiglione, ERA – Holley & Lewis Realty Company, Inc., Karen’s Hallmark, Dr. and Mrs. Harry Kolendrianos, Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Rawley, Scott & Stringfellow, Inc., Stratford Inn, Wilkins & Company Realtors, Danville Regional Health System, Halifax Regional Health System, Danville Braves, Dan Valley Foods, Danville Bottled Water, and Pepsi Bottling Group.

For more information about the Second Annual Virginia Bank & Trust Running & Fitness Festival, visit the website: www.danvillehalfmarathon.com, or contact  one of the organizers: Vince Decker, at 434.797.8470; John Wilt, 434.797.8468, L.C. Moore, 434.793.3409, or Buddy Rawley, 434.797.8495.