Bangalore, India and San Francisco, California, USA - July 31, 2012:
"The Wipro San Francisco Marathon" (TWSFM) was run Sunday, July 29th, 2012 and culminated with the winners taking home the spoils.
Nathan Krah and Devon Crosby-Helms were the winners of The 2012 Wipro San Francisco Marathon. Krah, a 26-year-old resident of Salt Lake City, completed the hilly 26.2-mile course in 2:26:45, while Crosby-Helms' winning time was 2:44:05. Both athletes claimed a prize purse of $1,500.
Crosby-Helms, a resident of San Anselmo in Marin County and founder of Fast Foodie, a personal chef service, competed in the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials in January and finished third in last year's San Francisco Marathon.
After his win, Krah, a Ph.D candidate in human genetics at the University of Utah said, "Even coming from a mountainous area, this was still really hard. It was just an endless assault of hills." Crosby-Helms said of her victory, "That was extremely satisfying. This was my third time racing here, and I really felt I had a good chance to win."
The Wipro San Francisco Marathon this year drew more than 7,000 runners, a marked increase from the 4,000 who finished in 2006. Another 18,000 runners participated in the race's two separate half marathons, as well as a 5K and Munchkins Kids Fun Run. That total reflects a new record participation figure for the race.
The 25,000 total runners bring a significant economic benefit to San Francisco and its immediate area, according to a recently-released economic impact study commissioned by the race. According to 2010 participant data, the randomized study found an estimated $38,000,000 in direct economic impact, from participant spending in such areas as lodging, shopping, food and beverages, entertainment and attractions and local travel.
Thirty-eight hardy runners took part in the first-annual "Worth The Hurt" double-marathon, departing the start/finish line on San Francisco's Embarcadero at midnight Sunday to run the course in reverse. After running much of the night, those runners then turned around, and ran the regular course with the rest of the marathon field for a total distance on the day of 52.4 miles.
Those 38 runners raised more than $22,000 through Worth the Hurt - The Wipro San Francisco Marathon's new charity platform, while the event organizers donated a total of $145,000 to local charities.
The Wipro SF Marathon
The Wall Street Journal has called The San Francisco Marathon, "the race even marathoners fear." But anyone who has run the race will tell you that the marathon's tagline, "Worth the Hurt," is true. It is worth the hurt.
The Marathon is known for its scenic views and is the only race that runs through the roadbed of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Wipro San Francisco Marathon is a loop course that starts and finishes on the Embarcadero and runs along the waterfront of San Francisco Bay through Fisherman's Wharf, the Marina, across the Golden Gate Bridge and back, through the Presidio and into Golden Gate Park. After a tour through Golden Gate Park it runs through the famous Haight Ashbury section (of 60's fame) and through the Mission, Potrero and Mission Bay Districts then down behind AT&T Park (home of the San Francisco Giants) and then back along the waterfront under the Bay Bridge and up to the Finish Line.
LoCura, the Bay Area based band in partnership with Rock the Bike welcomed the runners at the Finish line with their distinctive styled music which mixes Latin styles like Rumba Flamenca, Cuban rhythms, Cumbia, and Ska.
Ayan Mukerji and Neeti Narang of Wipro Technologies were the Grand Marshals and held the tape at the Finish Line for the winners.
The Wipro Team challenge is a new addition to The Wipro San Francisco Marathon. Teams with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 10 members could register as Co-ed, All Male, All Female, University Alumni or as a Corporate team. The teams competed in the Full Marathon, the Half Marathon and the 5k run. The fastest team in each of these races will be the proud recipient of the newly instituted Wipro Team Challenge Awards.
The race got extensive coverage on Twitter and Facebook, and averaged about 3-4 tweets per hour inviting people to visit the race and cheer on runners. Visitors to the microsite could explore a Bing Social map which showed live tweets from around the world that were talking about the marathon.
Winning Times Summary (all results unofficial):
Men's Full Marathon Winner: Nathan Krah, 2:26:45
Women's Full Marathon Winner: Devon Crosby-Helms, 2:44:05
First Half Marathon Men's Winner: Tim Abarca, 1:18:07
First Half Marathon Women's Winner: Rebecca Cutler, 1:31:52
Second Half Marathon Men's Winner: Jeffrey Eggleston, 1:04:09
Second Half Marathon Women's Winner: Molly Pritz, 1:11:04
For more information and full results, please visit www.thesfmarathon.com
About Wipro Technologies
Wipro Technologies, the global IT business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company, that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro Technologies delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of "Business through Technology" – helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation and an organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro Technologies has 131,000 employees and clients across 54 countries. For more information, please visit stg.wipro.com
Media Contacts:
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Eric Belove
Wipro Technologies
+1 732 216 6242
eric.belove@wipro.com
UK:
Rahul Kadavakolu
Wipro Technologies
+44 7920205496
rahul.kadavakolu@wipro.com
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