(Saint Paul, MN) The Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will welcome visitors to the inaugural Saint Paul Inline Marathon on Saturday, August 21, 2004 along some of the most beautiful stretch of the Mississippi River in the country. The race begins downtown and follows the Saint Paul riverfront along Shepard and Warner roads, circling back through the downtown streets to the finish line in Rice Park, one of the most picturesque downtown parks in the country.
Skaters will assemble at Saint Paul's Lambert's Landing, where the majestic Delta Queen steamboats dock while they are in port. From there, they will travel westbound up to the intersection of Highway 5, then turn around and head back east past downtown up to Highway 61. They will then turn back west once more to the landing, and continue on through the downtown streets to Rice Park. The finish line will be at the RiverCentre entrance of the park. The 26.2 mile marathon is expected to take the fastest skaters about an hour.
The city has just completed significant development along Shepard and Warner roads, including beautification efforts such as a divided parkway, tree plantings and ornamental lighting. Scrap and salvage yards have given way to lovely riverfront condominiums and the roadway itself has been moved back from the river to make room for the spacious walking and biking paths that now line the riverfront. Race participants will be treated to some of the prettiest views of the river any town can offer.
"Saint Paul is looking forward to hosting the inaugural Saint Paul Inline Marathon, as we are perfectly set up to host these types of sporting events," said Julie Larson, vice president of convention sales and marketing for the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau. "In addition to being one of the most beautiful urban areas in the country, we have terrific sporting facilities, a wonderful selection of restaurants and cafes in the downtown area and hotels in a wide range of price points within walking distance of the convention center and the downtown core."
Inline skating has a long history in Saint Paul, as the sport was invented in Minnesota by hockey enthusiasts who wanted to find a way to keep in shape during the summer months. Indeed, event organizers say that registration is going very well and they anticipate a field of 3000 to join in recreational, amateur and professional categories.
Participants can register on-line at www.stpaulinlinemarathon.com. The registration fee is $90 for registrations after August 1. Registration check-in will be held at the Xcel Energy Center next to Rice Park. For more information or to view a course map please visit the website or call 651-238-2651.
The city of Saint Paul is no novice at hosting major sporting events, and welcomes the opportunity to showcase the city to inline skating enthusiasts from around the world. In addition to co-hosting the Twin Cities Marathon each year, the city has also hosted the state high school hockey tournaments, WCHA and NCAA hockey and most recently hosted the NHL All-Star Game, in conjunction with the Winter Carnival ice palace, which drew a half million visitors to town.
More recently, Saint Paul celebrated its Mississippi Riverfront and the Lower Landing in particular as it welcomed the Grand Flotilla of riverboats to Saint Paul, the final port of call during Grand Excursion 2004 which arrived in Saint Paul over the July 4^th weekend. Over 150,000 people flocked to the riverfront to welcome the flotilla, and thousands more joined in the various activities during the weekend.
For more information on the Saint Paul Inline Marathon or for information on other Saint Paul area attractions and events, or to make lodging reservations, please contact the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau at 651-265-4800 or 800-627-6101 or visit www.visitstpaul.com.