RESOURCES FOR RACE DIRECTORS

Marine Corps Historic Half Opens Registration on Jan. 25

Historic Half to Mark Fifth Year on May 20 with 9,000 Participants in Fredericksburg, VA

QUANTICO, VA (Jan. 23, 2012) - The Marine Corps Historic Half marathon opens online discounted registration at noon Eastern on Wednesday, Jan. 25. All Historic Half participants, ages 10 and up, can save $15 off the registration fee through March 14, when the fee increases to $80. Historic Half registration is available on the MCM website at www.marinemarathon.com. Organized annually by the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), the Historic Half will be held on Sunday, May 20 in Fredericksburg, VA. 

In celebration of the Historic Half's fifth anniversary and its partnership with the host city, all who register for the event will receive a free year-long membership to the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center located on Princess Anne Street in Historic Downtown. The complimentary package to the Fredericksburg Museum entitles runners free entry to the museum for a full year; discounts at the museum store; invitations to members-only events and discounts, or free entries, to over 180 museums in the Time Travelers Network nationwide.

In addition, all who register for this year's Historic Half will receive an original artistic rendering of the Marine Corps Historic Half course commissioned exclusively for the MCM by artist Kevin Brown. The poster-size course map will be available to all Historic Half participants during the Healthy Lifestyle Expo on May 18 and 19. 

One of the largest and most unique running events in the Commonwealth, the Historic Half marathon has become tremendously popular in just the past four years, attracting runners from all 50 states to participate in the Historic Half marathon (13.1 miles), the Historic Half relay and the Semper Fred 5K. 

The Historic Half relay is expanding to include 250 two-person teams. The Historic Half relay costs $90 per team and is open to all runners ages 10 and up. Each of the team members will run 6.55 miles of the scenic Historic Half course and receive special relay recognition on their finisher medals. 

"The Historic Half Relay is an exciting part of the weekend," says Angela Huff, MCM Deputy Director and Historic Half Race Director. "It gives runners who prefer not to run13 miles the opportunity to 'team up' with a family member or friend while enjoying all of the scenery and historical landmarks of the Historic Half."

The Semper Fred 5K is open to participants of all ages for a registration fee of $35. 

All participants of each Historic Half event will receive a finisher's medal, technical T-shirt, runner's bib with B-tag timing device, hospitality and entertainment on each mile of the Historic Half course and a free finish line concert. 

For the first time, Historic Half runners will be able to have their split and finish times automatically posted on their personal Facebook and/or Twitter page, or receive them via text or email. Relatives and friends, including those located out of town, will be able to track in real time a participant's progress along the Historic Half course. These social media tracking services will be available through the Historic Half page of the MCM website. On race day, the Historic Half will transmit live splits and finish times and include a live leader board on the MCM Facebook page. 

Each of the Historic Half running events will start and finish in Fredericksburg's Central Park shopping district, just outside the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, with the Historic Half and Historic Half Relay running throughout Fredericksburg's most scenic streets and neighborhoods to include landmarks such as Mary Washington University, Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Old Keen Mill Park, the Rappahannock River and what has become the infamous Hospital Hill, adjacent to Mary Washington Healthcare. 

The Marine Corps Historic Half and Historic Half relay will start at 7 a.m. on May 20, with the Semper Fred 5K to follow at 7:25 a.m.

For more information about the Marine Corps Historic Half weekend of events, contact Tami Faram, MCM Public Relations Coordinator at tami.faram@usmc.mil or 703-432-1840.

The 2012 Marine Corps Historic Half marathon is coordinated by organizers of the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) and sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power, Geico, Marine Federal Credit Union, Mary Washington Healthcare and the Hilton Garden Inn. More information about the Historic Half and other MCM events is available at www.marinemarathon.com. 
No federal or Marine Corps endorsement is implied.