FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
November 16, 2023
Media Contact: Natalie Faragalli, [email protected], 267-528-5001

Mayor Jim Kenney to kick off the 2023 Philadelphia Marathon Weekend at the Marathon Health & Fitness Expo Friday

This press conference will celebrate the opening of the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend

What: Officials will kick off Philadelphia Marathon Weekend at the Philadelphia Marathon Health and Fitness Expo and welcome over 34,000 athletes to the weekend’s races – the AACR Philadelphia Marathon, now in its 30th year, the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K, and the Nemours Children’s Run.

The Health and Fitness Expo features over 30 exhibitors, and the International Festival and Event Association (IFEA) Pinnacle Award-winning Seminar Series. The Seminar Series features meet-and-greet opportunities with Olympians and Professional Elite Marathoners Jared Ward and Aliphine Tuliamuk, and educational sessions with professional and elite athletes.

The Health and Fitness Expo will also feature an interactive history gallery that will showcase 30 years of running with unique AACR Marathon memorabilia. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase special 30th-anniversary quarter-zip sweatshirts. These anniversary quarter-zips join a wide range of new merchandise, including the t-shirt design of local artist Shane Walsh, winner of the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE) and the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend 30th anniversary design competition.

Who:

Mayor Jim Kenney
Kathleen Titus, Race Director, Philadelphia Marathon Weekend
Sam Rogers, Director of Leadership Philanthropy, American Association for Cancer Research
Broghan Heron, Retail Marketing Manager, Dietz & Watson
Dr. Alex Vaccaro, President of Rothman Orthopaedics
Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President and Corporate Affairs & Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
Aliphine Tuliamuck, 10-time USATF Champion, Team U.S.A competitor at the 2021 Olympic Games, 2022 first place US female runner NYC Marathon
Jared Ward, six-time All-America at BYU, three-time USA National Champion, 2016 Olympian
Lauren Fleshman, former pro-runner, running coach and author of the New York Times best-seller “Good For a Girl”
Bart Yasso, Running USA Hall of Champions member and “Mayor of Running”
Lauren Lubin April, first open, non-binary athlete to run the New York City Marathon in 2016, Boston Marathon in 2019, and producer of the documentary Beyond Binary”

When: Tomorrow, Friday, November 17

11:15 a.m. Press Conference begins
12 p.m. Ribbon Cutting and Expo opens

Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th & Arch Streets, outside Exhibit Hall F (First Floor)

Visuals:

Press conference begins at 11:15 a.m.
Official ribbon cutting kicking off Marathon Weekend and the opening of the Fitness Expo at noon
Decor and signage throughout the concourse of the Convention Center
Partner visuals and expo exhibitors

NOTES TO MEDIA: All press should enter at 12th and Arch Streets. Limited parking is available on Arch Street between 12th and 11th Streets. All media are responsible for their own parking.

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The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, now in its 30th year, has grown tremendously since the first race in 1994. What started as a small local event of just 1,500 participants has become one of the top 10 marathons in the country. The course guides participants through a unique experience of centuries of history and architecture, diverse and lively neighborhoods, and remarkable views throughout Fairmount Park and along the Schuylkill River. Each year, spectators line the course, eager to cheer on athletes, because there’s nothing Philadelphians love more than champions.

Race Weekend 2023 features the AACR Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 19; the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, Rothman Orthopaedics 8K and Nemours Children’s Run on Saturday, November 18; and a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18.

For more information about the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, visit www.philadelphiamarathon.com.

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