Welcome to the City of Oaks

On behalf of the race committee, we welcome you to the inaugural Sony Ericsson City of Oaks Marathon and Rex Healthcare Half Marathon race field. We are pleased to host this prestigious event in Raleigh and showcase this fast-growing area, one of the East Coast's best kept secrets. We are excited to have you join us on race weekend and hope to exceed your expectations.

November's cooler temps make it a great time of year for running in Raleigh. We've planned a scenic, spectator-friendly race that will both challenge you and motivate you to run your best race ever. We've also planned a pre-race pasta party, pre-race expo, post-race party, giveaways and other surprises.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible generosity of our Sponsors and their belief in our endeavor. In each bi-monthly race newsletter you'll receive, you'll have a chance to learn about one of our sponsors—what each company offers to the community and some of the things the sponsor has in store for you on race weekend. Please support these companies, patronizing them when you can. Believe us, they have the utmost respect for the effort you'll put forth on race day to complete your event.

Thanks again for your participation.
Jim Micheels and Kazem Yahyapour, Race Directors

GU to Fuel Runners on Race Day

We are pleased to announce that GU Sports has signed on as a race sponsor and will supply GU Energy Gel for the races' fuel stops.

GU Energy Gel will be available in a variety of flavors at mile 8 for all runners, and for the marathoners, also at mile 14, mile 18 and mile 22.

More information about race-day Water/Aid Stations is available at the official race website.

Race Sponsor Sony Ericsson Makes Marathon a Company-Wide Commitment

Marathon title sponsor Sony Ericsson, a leading global mobile phone maker, employs nearly 800 people at its site in RTP. Despite its worldwide presence, the company values the local communities that its employees call home. The City of Oaks event provides a means for that support. As company spokeswoman Cherie Gary explains, "we wanted to get as many employees involved [in the race] as possible because it is a great opportunity to foster teamwork and a healthy environment."

Sony Ericsson's race efforts have been led by Patrick Hartzell, a project manager in Sony Ericsson's Program Management Office and an avid runner. Hartzell and his colleagues wanted to broaden the scope of the sponsorship to incorporate Sony Ericsson's products and also focus on wellness. To date, more than 40 employees have signed up to run either the half or full marathon. The company will also recruit employees to come out and volunteer in various capacities for the race.

"We also wanted to let employees who may not have ever tried to run either a half or full marathon know that support and training opportunities are plentiful," says Hartzell. The company has organized training talks and group runs for employees, and partnered with half marathon sponsor Rex Healthcare to offer lunch-time seminars on topics such as injury prevention.

"It is also a great way to get our employees to use the applications on our phones in real-life situations," says Gary. The company's fitness-oriented W580 Walkman phone with built-in pedometer will be released this summer.