Third Annual Allstate Life Insurance(SM) New York 13.1 Marathon Returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park

NEW YORK, NY, March 14, 2012 (Press-News.org) Thousands of runners will make Flushing Meadows Corona Park the center of the New York road racing universe on Saturday, March 24, as the nationwide Allstate Life InsuranceSM 13.1 Marathon Series returns to beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the third straight year with the Allstate Life InsuranceSM New York 13.1 Marathon .

The event will again be accompanied by the Karhu 5K race, providing opportunities for serious runners as well as newcomers to the sport for a fun-filled day in the shadows of the USTA National Tennis Center, New York Hall of Science, the Queens Wildlife Center and the Unisphere.

"The New York event has experienced tremendous growth, and we're excited to bring it back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this month," said Greg Laird, Founding Partner and CEO of US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, which operates the Allstate Life InsuranceSM 13.l Marathon Series. "It was gratifying to see so many participants last year, and so many others in the park enjoying a day of music, food, shopping and fun, and, of course, cheering on the runners."

The Allstate Life InsuranceSM 13.1 New York half-marathon begins at 9:13 a.m. in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium and continues around the park, which was the site of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs. The walker and spectator-friendly course will remain open for 3 hours and 30 minutes, a 16 minute/mile pace.

The Karhu 5K race will start at 9:05 a.m., on a separate course within Flushing Meadows Park.

And the party doesn't end when the runners cross the finish line. Participants and fans are invited to stay for a post-race party like no other, with free beer (ID required) provided by Michelob ULTRA in the Queens Museum of Art and a disco party with the funkiest of funk bands.

Racers are invited to join the official benefiting charity, Team World Vision to raise funds for clean water projects in Kenya and Malawi while training with local team groups. For more information on Team World Vision please visit http://www.worldvision.org.

All participants that complete the half marathon race at the Allstate Life InsuranceSM New York 13.1 Marathon will receive gender-specific tech t-shirts and a spinning finisher's medal that will make Lady Liberty look tiny. All age group award medals will be distributed from the Results tent at the finish line on race day -- so don't forget to stop by, get your official finishing time and check if you won an award. Custom design medals will be awarded three deep in 14 different age groups ranging from 12-14 to 75+ for both males and females.

Registration is currently open at http://www.131newyork.com. Fees for the 13.1 are $85 per runner until March 18, $100 walk-up and race week; for the Karhu 5K they are $25 until March 18, $30 walk-up and race week.

The Allstate Life InsuranceSM New York 13.1 Marathon is the third in the eight-city Series, which includes races in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and Miami Beach. Connect with the 13.1 Marathon Series via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/131marathon or on Twitter at @131Marathon.

Allstate's presence at the New York race will be highlighted by an interactive footprint at the Finish Line Festival, featuring entertainers, games and interactive experiences. A cool-down station will provide race finishers with bottled water and cool towels, while massage therapists were available to help alleviate post-race aches and pains of runners.

US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city's culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.