Melbourne Half-Marathon Earns Three Year Extension

By  //  April 10, 2012

Sports

The State Farm Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend has been given a three-year extension by USA Track & Field to host its annual Masters National Championship Half-Marathon.

BREVARD COUNTY •  MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running and race walking in the United States, has awarded it a three-year extension to the State Farm Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend to host of its annual Masters National Championship Half-Marathon.

In hosting the National Championship Masters Half Marathon, Melbourne routinely sees the nation’s best 40-and-over runners on its course; including former world record holders, Olympians and winners of premiere races such as the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon.

Aside from the half-marathon, the Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend also includes a health and fitness expo, a run for children, 5k, 8k, a full marathon and a hand cycle marathon.

Melbourne’s half-marathon has been a USATF’s Masters National Championship race since 2009 and will continue to do so through 2015.

“It has been an honor and a privilege for our race and community to host a national title race, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue doing so for the next few years,” said Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend race founder Mitch Varnes. “Our partnership with USATF has been a mutually advantageous one and we are very pleased by this announcement.”

USA Track & Field agrees.

“USATF is proud to extend its agreement with Melbourne and Smooth Running, LLC for the USA Masters Half Marathon Championship,” said USATF Masters Long Distance Running Chairman Donald Lein. “We have been pleased with the community support that this event has engendered since its beginning. We are also very happy with the professionalism of the staff that contributes to this race truly being one of the better Half Marathons in America.”

The next Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend will be conducted Feb. 2 and 3 next year.

For more information, visit www.themelbournemarathon.com