San Diego, CA – January 12, 2009 – The Competitor Group (CGI), the
leading media and event company in the endurance sports industry, today
announced the acquisition of the Denver Marathon and Rocky Mountain
Half Marathon, bringing its portfolio of national events to 25 with
over 250,000 participants.
“Adding the Denver Marathon and Rocky Mountain Half to the Competitor Group’s event portfolio was an ideal situation allowing the current leadership to remain involved,” said Peter Englehart, CEO of CGI. “The deal represents an enormous opportunity for expansion. We are excited to work with the Denver community and the thousands of runners who have come to expect us to deliver the best race experience possible.”
The largest Marathon in the state of Colorado, the Denver Marathon is known as the premier distance running event in the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes the marathon, a half-marathon, the ING Marathon Relay and the Denver Marathon Kids Mile. The 2009 race is set for Sunday, October 19th. The Fifth Annual Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, featuring the McDonald's Women's 8K, is scheduled for Sunday, June 14th, 2009.
The deal includes the retention of Executive Director Anton Villatoro and enables each race to leverage CGI's marketing expertise. The events will focus on providing an enhanced, more comprehensive experience for runners as well as tremendous opportunities for national sponsors to expand their reach to new audiences.
“Since launching the Denver marathon in 2006, we have always focused on the quality of the event and doing things the right way,” said Anton Villatoro, who will join CGI as a Vice-President and General Manager. “The race is in the best shape it’s ever been and as I looked for opportunities to continue its growth, I wanted to align the event with one of the nations leading event marketing and management companies. The Competitor Group was the right fit at the right time.”
With the addition of these two events, CGI’s event platform will be increased to 25 national events including 12 marquee running events and 13 Muddy Buddy Ride & Run events in 2009. In addition to the acquisition of Denver, CGI recently acquired events in Seattle, Chicago and Las Vegas. In 2009, marquee running events will also take place in the following markets: Phoenix, Nashville, San Diego, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, San Jose and San Antonio.
About The Competitor Group
Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI), headquartered in San Diego, CA, is the leading media and event entertainment company dedicated to the endurance sports industry of running, cycling and triathlons. CGI is comprised of the following brands: Competitor Publishing, Elite Racing, Inside Triathlon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, Triathlete Magazine, VeloNews and VeloPress. CGI owns and operates 25 national events delivering more than 250,000 professional and amateur participants in 2009. CGI publishes four magazine titles with a combined monthly circulation of approximately 650,000 and plans to launch an endurance community web presence under competitor.com in Q2 2009. Further information about Competitor and its media properties can be found at www.competitor.com.