Dublin is Ready for Some "SeriousFun"

SAN DIEGO and DUBLIN, Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SeriousFun Children's Network, a global community of camps and programs for children and families and Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI), organizers of the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon, today announced that SeriousFun Children's Network will become the official charity, with Team SeriousFun becoming the official training and fundraising program for the inaugural event on Monday, 5 August, 2013.

Team SeriousFun is the new endurance training and fundraising program for SeriousFun Children's Network founded by Paul Newman. In Ireland, Barretstown is part of the SeriousFun Children's Network, a growing global community of independently managed and financed camps and partnership programs serving children and families living with serious illness. Housed in a fairy tale castle just outside of Dublin, Barretstown welcomes children with serious illness from Ireland and more than 22 European countries.

"We are very excited to have race participants, volunteers and staff coming together in Dublin to support children with serious illnesses," said John C. Read, President and CEO, SeriousFun Children's Network.  "We have high hopes for our partnership with Competitor Group and are especially grateful to those who will support us by supporting Rock 'n' Roll Dublin ½ Marathon participants." 

The Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon is part of an international series of musically themed marathons and half-marathons, which uniquely combine entertainment with a scenic 13.1-mile road course. The musically themed running event is expected to attract thousands of runners to the Irish Capital, with live band performances at every mile along the route in addition to cheerleaders encouraging runners, hemmed water stations and a finish line concert headlined by a major act.

"As SeriousFun founder Paul Newman famously declared, 'It's all about the kids' and we couldn't be more excited to partner with an organization that has had such a tremendous impact on the lives of children and families facing serious illness," said Tom Godfrey, General Manager of CGI.

Race weekend in Dublin will begin with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Burlington Hotel where all participants will pick up their race number and Brooks technical t-shirt. The free expo will be open to the public and will feature several running and fitness retailers, exhibits with nutritional samples and a series of interactive clinics.

The race is expected to bring runners from around the world, while also attracting both new and experienced local runners. For those new to running, Team SeriousFun is the perfect way to approach training and preparing for the half marathon distance. Through Team SeriousFun, participants will run or walk the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon while making a difference in the life of a child facing serious illness. What better way to be a part of something serious than by joining something fun?!

Through Team SeriousFun, participants will run or walk in exciting endurance events to support SeriousFun Children's Network of global camps.  Participants will benefit from a professional coaching program that will provide a personal training schedule as well as access to virtual coaching staff.  Fundraising professionals will support and guide each participant to meet and exceed their fundraising goals.

Team SeriousFun welcomes participants to discover their strength, resilience and joy; and Competitor Group is proud to welcome their team to the first ever Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon.  To join Team SeriousFun or learn more about how you can be part of something serious, something fun, visit teamseriousfun.org

About SeriousFun Children's Network
SeriousFun Children's Network is a growing global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and their families, always free of charge. Founded by Paul Newman in 1988, SeriousFun has served over 400,000 children and families from more than 50 countries. Each member camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve all children at no cost to their families. The Support Center raises funds and provides central standards and services for all SeriousFun camps and programs. To learn more about SeriousFun, visit seriousfunnetwork.org. 

About The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
Organized by Competitor Group, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is the 'World's Largest Running Series' with more than 500,000 runners taking part in thirty-two destination events around the world. What started as a simple idea in 1998—the idea of making running fun-- soon transformed the U.S. running landscape by infusing the race course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations. The outdoor festivals encapsulate cities in their entirety and culminate with a finish line festival featuring a concert headlined by some of the best music acts around. Over the 16-year history of the series, charity partners have raised more than $283 million through the events for a variety of worthy causes. Today, the series of entertainment themed marathons and half-marathons has spread to 32 cities around the world and continues to enjoy great appeal for the traveling runner, tremendous local support and has firmly established itself as a dynamic running platform. For more information, or to register for an event, please visit RunRocknRoll.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.

SOURCE Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series