Since 1950, the month-long celebration has unified the Puget Sound through boat races, hydroplane racing, an air show, parades, music, food and more. In 2003, Seafair began a new tradition by holding 10-kilometer, half-marathon and triathlon races in Bellevue.  Approximately 2,000 runners and 100 volunteers participated last year, encouraging Seafair’s 40-member board to add a full marathon to the 2005 line-up.

   The Virginia Mason Team Medicine Marathon at Seafair, scheduled for July 10, will be the Seattle-area’s first summer marathon. Seafair, and title sponsor Virginia Mason Team Medicine, will also host a marathon walk, half-marathon and 5-kilometer race. Proceeds will benefit cancer research at Virginia Mason.

   Organizers anticipate the inaugural event will draw 6,000 participants who will contribute $1.5 million to the local economy. By 2007, they project the race will expand to 10,500 participants and produce $2.7 million in spending.

   The city of Bellevue’s City Council recently voted 6-1 in favor of the marathon, with the only rejection coming from Mayor Connie Marshall. The Council agreed to contribute $48,000 to the event, which will cost about $98,000 to put on. The majority of the city’s expenses will cover over 100 police officers who will be on overtime duty during the race. The race’s Director of Operations, Mike Ogliore, is currently recruiting volunteers.

   Many race directors avoid planning marathons in the middle of the summer due to unpredictable heat. But the 26.2-mile Seafair course is fairly flat and the average early morning temperature in Bellevue historically is 58 degrees for that day in July. The race will begin at 7 a.m. at Bellevue’s Downtown Park and continue north on Bellevue Way, east on Northeast 20th and 24th streets, south on West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast and west on several streets to finish back at Downtown Park. The course will feature live music at many locations.

   “Runners will have a couple of small hills at the beginning,” says Dan Wartelle, Seafair’s Public Relations Manager. “But they won’t face anything really hard after mile 15.”

  To view the race map, register for any of the marathon events, fill out a volunteer application and learn more about the first annual Virginia Mason Team Medicine Marathon at Seafair, see www.seafairmarathon.com or call (206) 728-0123.

Boarding for Breast Cancer
Northwest resorts host fundraising festivities
  

   The National Cancer Institute estimates that 13.4 percent of women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives. Most people have been affected either directly or indirectly by this growing statistic, including professional snowboarders Tina Basich and Shannon Dunn.

   When their friend Monica Steward, co-founder of Bonfire Clothing, discovered she had breast cancer at age 26, Basich and Dunn, along with Kathleen Gasperini  and Lisa Hudson, founded Boarding for Breast Cancer Foundation (B4BC) as a way to raise awareness – and money – for cancer research.

   Since 1996, B4BC has raised over $600,000 through its mobile educational program aimed at teaching young women the importance of early breast cancer detection and the value of a healthy lifestyle. This year, B4BC’s mobile education program will attend nine Board-A-Thons throughout the U.S. Oregon’s Mount Hood Meadows will host the Northwest’s only B4BC Board-A-Thon on March 26.

   Each event, which is individually styled for and unique to the hosting resort, encourages attendees to collect pledge dollars and take part in fun day-of-event activities such as product raffles, snowboard contests and live music.

    Inspired by B4BC, Seattle resident, Carolyn O’Neill founded Mamafest, a youth-focused breast cancer awareness and fundraising organization, in 2000. In four years, Mamafest has raised over $36,000 for breast cancer research programs in the Northwest.

   Mamafest will host its fifth annual snowboard and music festival at The Summit at Snoqualmie on Saturday, March 19, to raise money for the University of Washington Cancer Genetics Clinic and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
 

  For more information about Mamafest or to make a donation, visit www.mamafest.org.

   For more information about Boarding For Breast Cancer or to make a donation,
call (323) 571-2197 or visit www.b4bc.org.

   “This is a continuation of our strategy to expand our position as a leading, authentic sporting goods company,” said Jack Ward, Russell chairman and CEO. Brooks executives are hoping that Russell will help them expand their running apparel offerings and attract new business, including high school and college track teams.

   Russell has expanded its presence in the sporting goods market with the 2002 acquisition of Moving Comfort, one of the first women’s performance running apparel brands and the 2003 acquisition of Bike Athletic and Spalding.

   Ward plans to maintain its Bothell headquarters and hold onto its 165 employees worldwide. Brooks executives will continue to run the company as a wholly owned subsidiary of Russell.

   For more information, see www.brookssports.com/about_us/index2.htm