Health & Fitness Expo Kick Starts The New Jersey Marathon May 4-5

April 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Celebrating running, family and fun, The New Jersey Marathon Health & Fitness Expo is set for Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, with a wide variety of events from kids races, crafts, a fun run, music with a live DJ, running speaker series, Zumba and yoga classes, vendors and more at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., preceding the full marathon on Sunday, May 6.  For the first time, the Expo is scheduled as an active two-day affair in which runners will pick up their race packets and the entire family can enjoy a full slate of activities.  Expo hours are Friday from 1-8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The Health & Fitness Expo is free and open to the public, as well as to all participants of the New Jersey Marathon, the Long Branch Half Marathon, and Half Marathon Relay.  More than 18,000 people are expected to attend, including athletes and spectators.

Many runners will be interested in the free speaker series, introduced to the Expo for the first time in 2012, for the latest in racing, nutrition, hydration, health, and injury prevention and recovery tips and techniques to help make racing as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Final registration for the full and half marathon will also take place on Friday and Saturday.  No registration will be done on race day.

“We are pleased to extend the Expo into more than just race packet pickup for the runners,” said Joe Gigas, race director.  “We envision families from across the state coming down, spending the day, enjoying the activities, the race track, and celebrating the sport.”

The New Jersey Marathon, in partnership with Move For Hunger, will be conducting a food drive during the Expo. There will be collection bins and staff available to collect donations and distribute them to the local food banks.  Move For Hunger is a non-profit organization that works with moving companies across the country to support the efforts of local food banks. Your donation will likely directly impact families right in your home town. For more information about Move For Hunger, call 732-774-0521, or visit http://www.moveforhunger.org/.

The centerpiece of the weekend is the full marathon on Sunday, May 6, beginning at Monmouth Park in Oceanport and meandering through eight beautiful New Jersey shore towns, including Monmouth Beach, Deal, Allenhurst, Lock Arbour, Asbury Park and Ocean Grove before reaching the finish line on the Long Branch Promenade (north of Pier Village).  The marathon will start at 8 a.m., and the first corral of the Half Marathon and Half Marathon Relay is scheduled to start at 6:50 a.m.

Registration for all events, course views, information about volunteering and sponsorship and details of the entire weekend of activities and more are available at the race Website at www.NJMarathon.org.

The New Jersey Marathon is administered by US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, which conducts road races nationwide, including the Allstate Life InsuranceSM 13.1 Marathon® Series.

Major sponsors of the New Jersey Marathon include Barnabas Health, Investors Bank and United Healthcare.