Boston Marathon winner to present Raleigh with award for Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Thursday, January 22, 2015, 7pm
RALEIGH, N.C. - Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi will present the City of Raleigh with an award Monday to honor the city's Rock ‘n' Roll Marathon as the nation's best new sporting event in 2014.
SportsTravel Magazine chose Raleigh's marathon as the winner in November. The award is considered one of the industry's most prestigious and honors excellence in sporting event production and management at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels.
City Council Member Bonner Gaylord will accept the award at 1:30 p.m. on City Plaza near Jimmy V's Osteria, at 420 Fayetteville St.
Keflezighi will be in Raleigh to tour the new marathon course. He is the only runner in history to win the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon and an Olympic Marathon medal.
The Rock ‘n' Roll Raleigh Marathon is sponsored by WRAL and benefits the V Foundation. It attracted 12,500 runners from around the world last year and generated $8 million in economic impact for the city.
This year's marathon and half marathon will be held April 12 on a revised route that adds segments through North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus and Meredith College's campus as well as around Lake Johnson.
The post-race concert will feature pop-rock band Smash Mouth, which will play the Finish Line Festival at Red Hat Amphitheater. The concert is open to the public.
Smash Mouth is known for its hits including "All-Star," "Walkin' on the Sun," "Then the Morning Comes" and a remake of "I'm a Believer." The band is also expected to perform songs from its latest album, Magic.
The race is seeking live, local bands of all genres to perform throughout the race course. Cheer and dance teams are also invited to compete in the "Spirit on the Course" competition for a chance to win up to $750.