Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon Leverages Social Networking For Charity

CARY, N.C., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The board of directors for the sixth running of the annual Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon (TRM) presented by Inside-Out Sports announced today a social networking strategy to communicate with the worldwide running community. Building on its growing Facebook presence the event – named by Runner's World Magazine in 2014 as one of America's top nine new marathons – is now serving its running community with a new Twitter presence.

"Our event weekend isn't just about putting on a world-class marathon and half-marathon," says TRM President, Founder and ten-time Boston Marathon Qualifier Kazem Yahyapour. "We are about reaching out to the best nature of runners everywhere. We have an all-volunteer staff that gives 100% of event proceeds to charity. Our challenge is to reach people and sponsors so they can understand how to help."

Yahyapour predicts the 2015 TRM weekend will blow through the one half million dollar mark in their cumulative giving since founding the event in 2010. As a non-profit, all-volunteer organization TRM has limited advertising budget while the need to reach runners and sponsors is essential to achieving charity goals.

"Stepping up our social network efforts is critical to helping runners and sponsors understand what an efficient channel the Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon is to getting resources into the hands of people making a difference," explains Mark Dill, director of marketing for the event.

The Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon board recruited avid runner and professional journalist R.L. Bynum for the task of leading the event's Twitter effort. Bynum started the Twitter feed for the sports department's account at the Daily Press of the Newport News and spent 27 years working for newspapers. He has run 38 marathons, including every Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon.

All TRM proceeds go to these charities: JDRF, the Wounded Warrior Project, the Red Cross and the Rails to Trails Conservancy as well as Wake County Parks and Recreation.  See a video capturing the excitement at the TRM YouTube Channel.

The Tobacco Road Marathon Association is a non-profit organization dedicated with its sponsors to providing financial assistance to its partner charities by channeling the passions of the North Carolina Triangle area's running community into a powerful force for good.

Contact: Mark Dill: 919-949-9263
Kazem Yahyapour: 919-280-9737

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SOURCE Tobacco Road Marathon Association (TRMA)