RUNNING USA – Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon to Host Potomac Valley Association Championship – PVA Championship returns for second edition; 5,000 field expected; prize purse exceeds $10,000

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – (August 8, 2011) – Potomac Valley Association/USATF will return as a supporter of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon presented by Endurance Enterprises LLC, slated for Sunday, October 2, 2011, 7:30am. For the second edition, NBC4 news anchor Doreen Gentzler is returning as the Honorary Chair.

Potomac Valley Association (PVA) of USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championship: for all card-carrying PVA/USATF members who will be competing for prize money and prestige at the second PVA Half Marathon Championships. Prize purse – Open athletes male/female first place $300, second place $200 and third place $100. Prize purse for Master athletes (40+) male/female first place $250, second place $150 and third place $100. Double dipping is allowed. Prizes will be in the form of gift cards.

PVA membership is available at: www.usatf.org/assoc/pva

"It is a great honor to be awarded the PVA Half Marathon Championship, especially for the second consecutive year. Our partnership with PVA and USA Track & Field continues to enhance the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon as a signature event in the Washington metropolitan region and it helps to promote the participation and advancement of PVA members," stated Event Director Steve Nearman.

There is additional prize money for the overall male and female top five finishers: $1000, $500, $250, $200 and $100 as well as U.S.-only prize money for the top male and female finishers: $800, $500, $300, $200 and $100 and Masters (age 40 and older) male and female top finishers: $200, $150 and $100.

There will be additional bonus prize money for Open elites and Americans which is listed on the race website (www.wilsonbridgehalf.com).

Laura O'Hara was the top female PVA member in 2010, "It was great! The African women were so far out in front of us that they were a non-factor, but it was good race among the American women. Running over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, I live in Old Town, so I run to National Harbor over the bridge quite frequently for training runs. That's a nice hill that plays to strength runners. I am a strength runner and I used that and my familiarity with the bridge to escape my competition."

The race will benefit six charity partners: Autism Speaks, Alice Ferguson Foundation, Child & Family Network Centers of Alexandria, Washington Area Women's Foundation and Back on My Feet – DC and RunningBrooke Fund.

The destination half-marathon will begin at Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia, travel up the George Washington Memorial Parkway and over the majestic Woodrow Wilson Bridge path. Once in Maryland, the USATF-certified 13.1-mile course will travel clockwise around National Harbor resort with sweeping vistas of the famed Potomac River and the bridge before ending at the river in front of the eclectic Awakening Statue. This event is a must for a marathon training program.

The field is set to sell out at 5,000 entrants. Registration can be found at: www.wilsonbridgehalf.com

RUNNING USA