Duke Medicine Becomes Tobacco Road Marathon Title Sponsor

CARY, N.C., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Duke Medicine has agreed to be the title sponsor of the Tobacco Road Marathon to be conducted in Cary, North Carolina on March 21, 2010, the Tobacco Road Marathon Association (TRMA) announced today. The event is now officially named the "Duke Medicine Tobacco Road Marathon."

"We are extremely pleased to have Duke Medicine join us in making Cary's first marathon a reality," said race organizer and five-time Boston Marathon veteran Kazem Yahyapour. "This relationship is particularly meaningful to me personally as I began running to regain my health after suffering a heart attack in 2002. Exercise is essential to taking responsibility for your health."

As a result of the agreement, Duke Medicine's name and logo will appear on the TRMA Web site and figure prominently on tee-shirts, awards and signage along the course. They will also have a prominent booth at the event's exposition hall at the Embassy Suites in Cary off Harrison-Oaks Boulevard.

The Duke Medicine Tobacco Road Marathon's scenic course includes 18 miles of the American Tobacco Trail (ATT).  The ATT will also account for 7 miles of a half-marathon to be run simultaneously. Runners will start from the USA Baseball/Thomas Brooks Park complex in Cary at 7 a.m. TRMA believes they will deliver an ideal performance environment with a course largely devoid of hills and an average temperature for March 21 of 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Registration is moving at a brisk pace, but there are still slots available for both events.

"One of our key goals is to give runners the best opportunity possible to qualify for the Boston Marathon," says Yahyapour, who was co-founder of the successful City of Oaks Marathon. "We believe we have put together the fastest course in North Carolina."

TRMA is a group of highly experienced marathon runners and athletic event production managers headed by Yahyapour and Cid Cardoso Jr., president and founder of Inside-Out Sports. Plans call for proceeds to go to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy (TRTC). Details about the event, including on-line registration and training tips, can be obtained through TRMA's Web site at www.tobaccoroadmarathon.com.  You can also become a friend of "Tobacco Road" on Facebook.

Mark Dill: 919-949-9263

Sarah Rountree: 919-280-5527

SOURCE Tobacco Road Marathon Association (TRMA)