STORY:
San Diego Marathon 2000

1999 may prove to be the shortest year in history with weeks and months flashing by as hotels, theme parks and cities scramble to plan glitzy New Years celebrations to welcome the year 2000, a new century and the beginning of the next millennium.

People who never make resolutions and who treat New Year’s as just another day are begrudgingly joining the rush to plan a celebration that will truly mean something on this momentous occasion. Very few of us were here the last time this happened - a new century began - and it’s safe to say that few of us will ever experience it again.

New Year’s parties, however, tend to be much the same every year - music, noise makers, hats, and maybe even a hangover the next day. The fun is soon forgotten and few celebrations go down in history or even make an indelible impression on your memory. So what will you do to commemorate this once-in-a- lifetime occasion?

If you are one of the lucky runners or walkers who plan ahead, January 1, 2000, the first day of the new century will find you at the starting line of the San Diego Marathon - the Marathon 2000. For this one time only, this nationally acclaimed marathon will advance their usual mid-January date to provide marathoners the opportunity to celebrate in the way they do best - in their running shoes.

The marathon will be limited to 10,000 and based on the number of early requests, it will fill up quickly. The traditional half- marathon will be held the day before the Marathon 2000 on December 31 and will be called “The Last Half”. It too will be limited to 10,000 and is also expected to fill up. There will even be a special package for those hardy people who want to run both the full and the 1/2 marathon.

A group called Big Brain 2000 are meeting regularly to make plans for this marathon extravaganza. Their mission is to think outside the box, to remove all restrictions, to “go way beyond the norm.” Their ideas range from burying a time capsule at the starting line to establishing a time line of marathon history along the course.

Participants can expect exceptional entertainment and inspiration along the course, an outstanding array of souvenir items, costumes, celebrities, and prizes and a post-race celebration that will be as big as any New Year’s celebration ever.

“But don’t delay”, say marathon officials at In Motion, Inc. “Don’t risk missing out on this very unique opportunity to start the new century off on the right foot (and the left, and the right and the left etc)”. In the words of Sydney Harris “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time: it is the regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”

Entry forms are now available by calling 1-888-792-2900 or look for an entry form on the San Diego Marathon web page after 2/1/99. www.sdmarathon.com

DATE: 1/11/99

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