ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 17, 1996 TAG: 9604170031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
AEP AND FIRST AMERICAN FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK have teamed up to save the Festival Classic.
It may have new sponsors and a new name, but it's still the same Festival Classic race.
Until American Electric Power and First American Federal Savings Bank joined forces a month ago, it appeared the Festival Classic would become another Roanoke race casualty following the cancellation of the Shenandoah Life Four-Miler.
Instead, Roanoke's largest running event will be held June 1 in downtown Roanoke during Festival in the Park.
The only concern was how to get both sponsors' names on a T-shirt. The ``American Electric Power/First American Federal Savings Bank Festival Classic'' would have been almost as long as the race itself.
``We did laugh at that,'' said Wendi Schultz, executive director of Festival in the Park.
So, a compromise was reached. The 15th running of the Festival races will be called the ``American Festival Classic,'' since the word ``American'' is in the name of both companies that have replaced First Union as primary sponsor.
``If not for AEP and First American, there's no way we could have pulled this off,'' Schultz said. ``I couldn't have asked for a better organizational body.''
The new name was unveiled at a Tuesday morning news conference at Northside High School, where race organizers announced several new events to be run during the Classic. In addition to awards for winners in the five-kilometer and 10-kilometer races, the 5K race will include challenges for local high schools, corporations and media.
Northside track coach Jim Robinson, who has included the Festival Classic as part of his students' physical education program for eight years, is challenging other high schools to enter runners in the 5K race. The Northside challenge will award a trophy to the school with the largest contingent in the race.
``We had 200 kids [in the race] last year, so when the new sponsors came in, we basically decided to challenge other schools to see how many kids they could enter and finish the race,'' Robinson said. ``This is something good for kids to see ... that it's not all world-class runners out there. A lot of 'em are just regular folks.''
The winners of the corporate and media challenges will be the teams whose three fastest runners have the lowest combined times in the 5K race. The media challenge previously was a staple of the Shenandoah Four-Miler.
Trophies also will be awarded to the male and female runners who finish first through fifth in the 5K and 10K races. The top five runners in each age division will receive medals.
Other than the name and sponsorship, little about the race has changed. The American Festival Classic will follow the same routes and time schedules as previous years. A post-race gathering will be held in the Tower Parking Garage, and registration fees will the same as last year - $12 for adults and $8 for runners under age 18.
Registration forms are available at AEP and First American Bank lobbies, as well as at various athletic centers and businesses around the Roanoke Valley.
R.D. Carson Jr., AEP Virginia's president, said Tuesday that First Union, which sponsored the race for two years after the bank's merger with Dominion Bank, has donated equipment and the names of last year's runners to help AEP and First American prepare for this year's event.
``We at AEP are excited to be sponsoring this run and look forward to playing a role in an event that draws as much community interest and spirit as does the Festival Classic,'' Carson said. ``This gives us another opportunity to display to the Roanoke Valley our strong commitment to community involvement.''
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB