20-Year-old Birhanu Yirefu of Ethiopia wins the Marathon in 2:16:26.

Under Armour, Inc. and Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE) announced today that Under Armour has extended its title sponsorship of the Baltimore Running Festival and Baltimore Marathon through 2008. Under Armour, the innovative leader in performance apparel has been the title sponsor of the event since 2003. This year's race kicked off on October 14 at M&T Bank Stadium, and Under Armour awarded a total purse of $100,000 and provides performance apparel to all runners, pacers, volunteers, and staff along the course. "With this sponsorship, Under Armour has shown a commitment to the City of Baltimore and to our runners," stated Lee Corrigan, president of Corrigan Sports Enterprises. "Under Armour is much more than just a title sponsor; they are a big part of what is so exciting about this event and we recognize that. We are thrilled to have Under Armour as our partner for the next several years."

In addition to Under Armour's $100,000 total purse, one of the top ten largest purses in the country, the Baltimore-based company plans to celebrate its continued relationship with the Baltimore Running Festival by rewarding a variety of unique individual race achievements such as "Baltimore Resident Winner," "Master's (40 and over)," "Maryland Resident Winner," "Armed Forces Challenge," "Top Terp," and "First-Time Marathoner."

"We're proud to host this gathering of runners in our hometown as we continue to build the prominence of this event on a national level," said Steve Battista, Under Armour's Vice President of Brand. "Our brand is about authenticity first and foremost. Four years ago we set a precedent as the world's first performance apparel marathon and we aspire to continue this tradition in the years ahead."

The 2006 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival consisted of the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon, United Way 5K, Legg Mason Funds Team Relay and Kids' Fun Run, and took place on Saturday, October 14, 2006 throughout the city of Baltimore. M&T Bank Stadium served as the start and finish line for the race. The event, now in its sixth year, has generated more than sixty million dollars in revenue for the city and more than 2.5 million dollars for local charities.

To get this year's crop of athletes into race mode, registered participants picked up their race number, T-shirt, chip and race bag at the pre-race Health and Fitness Expo on Oct. 12-13 sponsored by ESN (Elite Sports Network). Once there, they had the chance to check out brand new Under Armour gear and explore other vendors' running-related offerings. The first 500 (250 men and 250 women) to pick-up their marathon packets receives a free pair of Under Armour running socks to aid them in the race to the finish line.

And near the finish line is the Celebration Village to entertain athletes' families and festival spectators during the race this year. Here guests will be treated to live musical acts courtesy of FM station 98 Rock, including the Baltimore-based blues band Kelly Bell, and activities that include food and drinks, sponsor tents, and a kids' area featuring face-painting, balloon art, inflatables, and other family-friendly activities meant to appeal to any and all visitors. As part of Celebration Village, Under Armour will have a sales tent on display where they will be selling their new running gear that is prominently featured at the Health and Fitness Expo.

Nearly 12,000 participants registered for the running festival, establishing an event record. The half-marathon and 5K sold out for the third-straight year, while all other races saw increases in participation numbers.

For more information, go to www.thebaltimoremarathon.com.