Inaugural Utah Marathon & Fittest State Festival Announced

SALT LAKE CITY, March 6, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Salt Lake City and all of Utah usher in a new era in its marathon and road racing history. 

Dolphin Events, a subsidiary of Dolphin Capital Group, a Utah-based private equity firm that invests in companies located within the Mountain West Region, including Ragnar Events, announced it will produce an annual Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival, which will take place in its inaugural year on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

"We are thrilled to financially back this new event in Utah's running calendar," said Eric Jacobsen, Partner with Dolphin Capital and Chairman of Ragnar Events.  "Utah has a fantastic running community and we hope this event will encourage Utahan's to become even more active as we strive to make Utah the 'Fittest State.' " 

"Utah is currently the 6th fittest state in the U.S., yet 23% of Utah's citizens are obese and 58% are overweight," according to Dolphin Events Founder, Ken Jacquin who cited a recent study by the Trust for America's Health, a non-profit national health advocacy group as fact-based support for this new project.  "We are going to do something about that," he continued, "With our track record for and a shared vision of encouraging healthy lifestyles, sustainable living practices and having fun, together we will change the lives of our citizens for the better and enhance our community in the process."

"The Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival is cause for celebration," said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission.  "This event will not only gives Utah runners a chance to participate in another top notch marathon, but our hope is that over time the event will also become a major destination marathon that will provide tremendous economic impact to our community and State."

"Our goal is to organize a world-class marathon and series of shorter-distance races that will unite the community, bring national attention to the region, promote the highest levels of health and fitness to our citizens and serve as a robust fundraising engine for a wide-range of local charities," explains CEO and Executive Race Director, Scott Kerr, a 20+ year veteran of the industry.  

The Utah Marathon will give runners a tour of Salt Lake City's most scenic neighborhoods, its changing cityscape and top sightseeing landmarks that include the capital, Hogle Zoo, Parley's Trail, Sugar House Park, the 9th & 9th district amongst others that both participants and spectators will find stunning and lively. 

"It is more than just a race to showcase our beautiful capital city; it is a collaboration of civic-minded businesses and leaders to design the most exciting and well-organized health and well-being event in the country for our citizens,"  Kerr continued.

Several prominent local businesses have already signed on as sponsors including the Ken Garff Automotive Group.  Executive Director for Community Relations at Ken Garff, Rick Folkerson, said, "The marathon and its ancillary events are great means for encouraging a lifetime of fitness.  We envision leveraging our community initiatives specifically 'Keys and Road-to-Success' programs to further educate Utah's children on the importance of good nutrition and exercise to best fuel their growth and ensure a healthy, happy and long life."

The Simmons Media Group has been named as the race's official radio partner for the event.  Craig Hanson, President of the Simmons Media Group commented, "We are proud to be involved with this premier community sporting event.  It is a great honor for our station and entire broadcast team to be able to provide expert coverage of this marathon and that listeners throughout Salt Lake City will be able to share in the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the event." 

To provide a range of activities to increase community participation and enjoyment, a half-marathon, 5K and kids' 1K program, as well as a bike tour, are also scheduled.

About the Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival

Entering its first year as one of the Mountain West's premier running events, the Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival is dedicated to providing a safe, fun and high-quality event for athletes of all ages and abilities to promote the benefits of better health and fitness.

Our marathon offers a challenging, scenic course that starts in downtown Salt Lake City and runs through the newly transformed cityscape of Salt Lake City and its adjacent historical, charming neighborhoods.  Also along the route are many popular sightseeing landmarks including the University of Utah, Hogle Zoo, Parley's Trail, Sugar House Park and the 9^th & 9^th district.  The finish line is at Library Square. 

A wide variety of entertainment, including live bands and a series of community driven cheer stations will be staged along each of the courses. The race will conclude with an enormous finish line festival and celebration, "Fit Stock."  As you can imagine just by its name, Fit Stock promises to be the greatest social gathering in the City this coming fall.

Race weekend kicks off Thursday, October 11 with the two-day, Fittest State Festival Expo to be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  The Festival will feature hundreds of exhibitors sharing the latest in health and fitness products and informational sessions on how to achieve a more active lifestyle.   The festival is free and open to the public.

For more information, beginning March 15th, 2012 go to www.utahmarathon.com

About Dolphin Events, LLC.

Dolphin Events is a professional race management and production company whose primary mission is to produce the annual Utah Marathon and 'Fittest State' Festival.  The Company's founders have more than 20 years of race management experience, including organizing some of the largest running events in the state of Utah. 

About the Dolphin Capital Group

Dolphin Capital Group invests in and/or acquires companies primarily located within the Mountain West Region with dynamic opportunities to create value.  In the past 5 years, Dolphin Capital Group has invested more than $30 million in local businesses which currently employs more than 700 people.

Contacts:

Scott Kerr, CEO & Executive Race Director
(801)718-5565
[email protected]

Jeanne Davison, VP Marketing & Communications
(435)655-1131
[email protected]

SOURCE Utah Marathon