Competitor Group Inc. and LLS Grow Partnership With New Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 Marathon to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- For the past 12 years, the annual Rock 'n' Roll marathon in San Diego has been one of the signature events of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training (TNT) charity sports training program. Beginning with the race's 13th year on June 6, 2010, LLS will become the exclusive charity of the renamed Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Competitor Group, Inc., (CGI), the race's organizer, has also added a half marathon to the event, which is famous for its live bands, cheerleaders and block party atmosphere.  Final details of the new course, which will showcase scenic San Diego and include a new finish line, will be announced at a later date.

"LLS's Team In Training has played a major role in this marathon since the first race in 1998, and this exciting new partnership is the natural progression of our shared history," said LLS President and CEO John Walter. "The Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 will continue to be one of the most popular events among our Team In Training offerings and I know our participants are going to be very enthusiastic about the addition of the half marathon."

For more than a decade San Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon has offered an attractive venue for TNT participants to accomplish the goal of completing a marathon, while enjoying the satisfaction of running for the greater cause of raising money to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The addition of the half marathon will enable even more participants to be part of a race that has done so much to support the LLS mission. Funds raised by TNT participants have helped LLS support thousands of research studies over the years from early discoveries that led to chemotherapy and radiation treatments, to new advances in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and stem cell transplantation, as well as improvements in the quality of life for patients.  

TNT, the world's first, largest and best charity sports training program, has raised $1 billion since its inception in 1988, and trained more than 420,000 participants. More than 41,500 of those TNT participants have crossed the finish line at the San Diego event, alone, raising more than $142 million to support blood cancer research and patient services. TNT is credited with bringing the greatest numbers of new athletes to endurance sports in the world – first marathon running, then 100-mile cycling rides and triathlons, and now adventure hikes. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and TNT together have changed the face of marathoning and fundraising, helping to start the second running boom and attracting historic numbers of women participants. Ninety percent of TNT participants are first-timers, and 75 percent are women.

TNT provides four to five months of personalized fitness training by certified coaches and the opportunity to be part of a supportive team. Honored teammates, local blood cancer patients, provide inspiration to the team as they train for their events. In addition to weekly training sessions, TNT offers clinics on nutrition, equipment, injury prevention and safety. Participants are also given tools to help them fundraise.

"Our partnership with Team In Training and helping them help so many has always been a tremendous source of pride for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon," said Tracy Sundlun, Vice-President of the Competitor Group." Seeing their participant numbers, fundraising totals, and especially the survival rates rise over the last 13 years has been one of the things that drives all of us every day; and we are so excited to launch a new era of the marathon by providing an expanded platform for fundraising to support this incredible organization, which is coming closer to a cure every day."

Training for the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 Marathon to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is kicking off nationwide this month and if you've always wanted to walk or run a marathon or half marathon give TNT a try and make a difference. Visit www.teamintraining.org/rnrsandiego or Call 1-800-482-TEAM to contact the TNT chapter closest to you. Attending an information meeting is the first step to getting 2010 off to a great start.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.  

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. www.lls.org.

About The Competitor Group

Competitor Group, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a leading endurance media and event entertainment company dedicated to promoting the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. CGI owns and operates 36 national events delivering more than 350,000 professional and amateur participants in 2010. CGI publishes four magazine titles with a combined monthly circulation of over 800,000 and has recently launched an online endurance community at competitor.com delivering over 1.5 million monthly unique visitors and over 25 million page views.  Further information about Competitor and its media properties can be found at www.cgimediakit.com.    

About The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series

Produced by The Competitor Group, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations. The original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego is still recognized as the largest inaugural marathon in history with 19,979 entrants. Today, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series has spread to fourteen cities nationwide, creating the first national series of marathons and half-marathons, which will attract more than 300,000 participants in 2010. For more information, please visit www.runrocknroll.com.

SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society