UPDATE: Skyway 10K to be televised, more event details released including images of medals, shirts
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: James Judge
Tel: 813.279.8335
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Email: jpjudge@judgepr.com
***Editor’s Note: While the run portion of the event is sold-out, the events taking place at Tropicana Field, including the concerts and race spectating, are FREE and open to the public.***
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Representatives from the sold-out Inaugural Skyway 10K, Saluting Military Families, released the first images of the official race t-shirts and medals on Monday.
The shirts, which are made in America, are white with red and blue lettering and an American flag on the front. They also feature an American flag on right sleeve and the Armed Forces Families Foundation logo on the left sleeve. The back of the shirt features the Skyway 10K logo.
The official race medals feature the Inaugural Skyway 10K logo with a representation of the Skyway Bridge protruding off the medal on the front, while the back features an imprinted Armed Forces Families Foundation logo and the words MADE IN AMERICA.
This sold-out patriotic run celebrating members of America’s armed forces and their families is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 4, and has quickly attracted major sponsors and partners.
PepsiCo has pledged to provide water and refreshments, and Einstein Bros. Bagels is planning to provide free coffee and post-race snacks for the runners.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is proud to partner as the Stage Sponsor and will provide entertainment for the two-day event. The line-up includes live music from NoNeed, Stonegrey and more.
Additionally, Sea Dog Brewing Company will provide beer for the event. Each runner will receive one free beer following the completion of their run, and proceeds from beer sales during the Skyway 10K events will be donated to the Armed Forces Families Foundation. Also, at participating locations beginning Monday, Feb. 5, through Sunday, March 11, proceeds from the sale of Sea Dog Brewing Company’s beer, Sunfish, will also be donated to the Armed Forces Families Foundation.
The Figg Bridge Group, which designed the Skyway Bridge, will be providing a souvenir poster of the race with fun facts about the bridge in runner packages. Linda Figg, the company’s president and CEO, will be present at the event with New York Times bestselling author, Judith Dupré, who will sign copies of her book, Bridges, for the top winners. Additionally, the main designer of the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Denney Pate, who is senior vice president and principal bridge engineer with Figg, will also be attending the event.
10News WTSP, Tampa Bay’s home for CBS, will broadcast the race live on WTSP Channel 10 from 6:00a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 4th. 10News personalities Allison Kropff and Grant Gilmore will also be running the Skyway 10K and providing their unique perspectives from the course. Additionally, 10News will provide a live, closed-circuit feed that will be shown on large screens at Tropicana Field, so that spectators can see runners cross the finish line.
It is important to note, while the run portion of the event is sold out, the family-friendly events taking place at Tropicana Field, including the concerts and race spectating, are free and open to the public. Those attending are encouraged to wear anything patriotic or supportive of America’s armed forces.
Additional sponsors include Taco Bell, Visit St. Pete Clearwater, BioSpine Foundation, Corcoran &Johnston, Green Roads, The Hotel Zamora, CX Insurance Services, Fit2Run, Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, Staybridge Suites, United Way Suncoast, Valley National Bank, Dr. Pepper, Gary L. Heller, DO and the Skyway Marina District. Sponsorships remain available and anyone interested in sponsoring should visit https://www.skyway10k.com/sponsors-partners/.
More than 7,000 runners have registered from 40 states and three countries, and all five branches of the armed forces will be represented in the Inaugural Skyway 10K.
All proceeds from the event will go to support the Armed Forces Families Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides 100 percent of the funds they raise back to projects to help military families.
The run will begin on I-275 at the rest area just south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and end at the rest area on the north side of the Bridge, which represents a distance of 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles.
Participants will be bussed from Tropicana Field to the south end of the Bridge and then will be picked up by buses on the north end of the Bridge to return to Tropicana Field for the awards ceremony. Only the northbound lanes of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge are scheduled to be closed at 4:00 a.m., and those lanes are scheduled to reopen by 10 a.m.
The 2018 Skyway 10K was capped at 7,000 participants, though in following years that number is expected to increase. For more information, visit skyway10k.com.
To learn more about the Armed Forces Families Foundation or to help fund other projects that help military members and their families, please visit www.armedforcesfamilies.org/.
About Armed Forces Families Foundation:
The Armed Forces Families Foundation, together with participating Taco Bell and IHOP restaurants, are proud supporters of America's armed forces and their families. Since 2006, the Armed Forces Families Foundation has raised and given back more than $2 million to fund and develop infrastructure projects that help the families of our service men and women. One hundred percent of every dollar raised goes directly toward projects to help the families of those who protect our freedom. For more information, please visit ArmedForcesFamilies.org.
