Raleigh, NC - November 6, 2014 - The Rock ‘n' Roll Marathon Series today unveiled a new course for the second annual Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by WRAL benefiting The V Foundation set to take place the weekend of April 10-12, 2015.

Participants will again experience sights like the Governor's Mansion, Rose Garden, historic Oakwood neighborhood and North Carolina State campus and will finish in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street near the Red Hat Amphitheater where they can gather with friends and family for the post race concert.

"We are delighted with the new marathon course. It's an outstanding showcase of Raleigh sites and it lives up to our goal of offering a ‘postcard' route to runners from all over the nation," said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. "The new route features the scenic addition of NC State's Centennial Campus, as well a run through the beautiful Meredith College campus. We are grateful to both State and Meredith for welcoming Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh."

The marathon and half-marathon will once again start on South Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh. The revamped course travels past the Governor's Mansion, onto Martin Luther King Blvd, touring the revitalized neighborhood of Chavis Heights. At mile 4 the route enters Historic Oakwood, showcasing a community of beautiful Southern homes from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's.

The course ventures past William Peace University onto Peace Street and Clark Ave where the marathon and half-marathon split just after Cameron Village, which is the oldest shopping center in the Southeast and the first planned community to be developed in Raleigh. The marathon course continues on Hillsborough Street at Mile 9, running through the beautiful 225-acre campus of Meredith College, a prestigious women's college founded in 1891.

"The new route also includes Lake Johnson, along with many of the same landmarks from last year - the Daily Planet at the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Hillsborough Street District, Pullen Park and the Dorothea Dix property. And the course also winds by Shaw University and St. Augustine's University," added Dupree. "In addition, runners will find that this route is considerably less hilly than last year's. Most notably, the difficult Edwards Mill stretch has been removed, as has the out and back down Reedy Creek. Of course, this is Raleigh, not Kansas, and we can't avoid hills altogether, but runners will absolutely notice an improvement in that regard."

One of the marquee new attractions in 2015 is sure to be miles 14-16 at NC State, passing through the cutting-edge Centennial Campus and Fraternity Court, before heading south on Avent Ferry. From NC State the route will cross Lake Johnson, a 300 acre park with miles of recreation and trails, before heading back to Centennial Campus and the Dorothea Dix property. Marathoners will complete their final miles on Boylan Ave through Boylan Heights, which is charming neighborhood with historic bungalows, before turning on Morgan Street to the finish line on Fayetteville Street, which features thousands of screaming spectators with North Carolina's Capitol Building as a back drop.

The race will again benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has funded more than $115 million in cancer research grants nationwide and Team V efforts raised more than $300,000 at the inaugural event in April. Runners can join the cause by running for Team V at www.run4v.org.

Marathon weekend will begin with a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Raleigh Convention Center where all participants go to pick up their race number. The expo will feature dozens of running and fitness retailers, exhibits with free nutritional samples and a series of interactive clinics with running experts and pro athletes.

For more information about Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh or to register for the race, please visit RunRocknRoll.com/Raleigh.

Download
Official 2015 Course Map

About Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh
The second Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by WRAL benefiting The V Foundation will take place on the weekend of April 10-12, 2015. Open to runners and walkers from novice to professional, live bands and local high school cheerleaders entertain and cheer on participants at every mile along the scenic course. A two-day Health & Fitness Expo kicks off race week at the Raleigh Convention Center on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11. All participants must visit the expo to pick up their race numbers and browse over 100 vendors from the running and fitness industry. Race weekend concludes with a finish line festival and post-race concert at the Red Hat Amphitheater. To register for the race or for more information about Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh, visit RunRocknRoll.com/Raleigh or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.

Media Contacts
Dan Cruz, 619-925-7671, dcruz@competitorgroup.com
Hilary Friedman, 858-275-9435, hfriedman@competitorgroup.com

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