BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today the Nike Women's Marathon (NWM) celebrated its fifth-year anniversary, with twenty thousand women participating in the world's largest women's marathon in San Francisco. Coming from 50 states and 25 countries, runners have raised more than $18 million for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)-bringing the five-year total to more than $78 million since the NWM began in 2004. This year's winner of the full marathon was Nora Colligan of Austin, TX (3:06:30), and the half marathon winner was Holly Hagerman of Woodland Hills, UT (1:22:40).

"I'm honored to be a part of the Nike Women's Marathon," said Joan Benoit Samuelson, former Olympian and the inspiration for the event. "As we celebrate five years of women running together for a great cause, I'm touched by how much this event has inspired women athletes of all ages and abilities to train and make running and physical activity a priority. By encouraging women to 'run like a girl' we've created a unique event that is important for female runners themselves, and the people who benefit from the money we've raised for LLS." Joan ran the half marathon today with a sea of women at her side and has run in the event every year.

The Nike Women's Marathon began in 2004 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's historic gold-medal in the first women's marathon at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Since its inception, this one-of-a-kind women's marathon has brought together more than 100,000 women and become one of the biggest philanthropic race contributors. Through a partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and its Team In Training program, the marathon raises money to benefit blood cancer research and patient services. The five-year total of $78 million raised from the Nike Women's Marathon has made the event Team In Training's largest beneficiary race in its history.

"The Nike Women's Marathon is truly a celebration of women coming together and is one of Team In Training's signature events," said LLS Chief Marketing and Revenue officer Nancy L. Klein. "Participating in this event as a member of Team In Training gives women the opportunity to take on a physical challenge in one of the most beautiful cities in the country while also making a difference in the lives of thousands of people battling blood cancer."

The 20,000 runners for the 2008 Nike Women's Marathon included 5,000 Team In Training runners, more than 1,000 men, and 400 Nike Women's Marathon runners who've participated every year. Each full and half marathon finisher for the Nike Women's Marathon received a finisher's t-shirt and specially designed Tiffany & Co. necklace and pendant commemorating the 2008 race.

In addition, with the help of Nike+, more than 4,500 women ran the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon on the same day. The Nike+ Women's Half Marathon allowed women anywhere in the U.S. a chance to join the 20,000 women on Oct. 19 wherever they were with Nike+ by signing up for the run and logging their miles. Nike+ Half Marathon finishers also received a finisher's t-shirt and a specially designed Tiffany & Co. key chain.

"The Nike Women's Marathon is a celebration of our support of women athletes throughout Nike's history" said Amy White, Vice President of Running for Nike in the U.S. "This event is one of Nike's proudest examples of how we're committed to fueling the power of sport in the lives of women."

Both the full (26.2 miles) and half (13.1) marathon courses incorporated famous San Francisco landmarks and beautiful scenery. The race started in Union Square and runs along the San Francisco Bay with scenic views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, ushered runners down the Great Highway as they cross the finish line. Along the course, runners were treated to musical entertainment, cheer and Nike+ PowerSong stations, a Ghiradelli chocolate mile, and "pedi-stations" where runners changed socks and received band-aids and other supplies.

In addition to the race, the Nike Women's Marathon offers a variety of activities focusing on the female athlete throughout the weekend at the Nike Women's Marathon Expotique. Understanding that there are two parts to a woman's running life - her lifestyle and her athleticism, the Expotique ("Expo" + "Boutique") is a celebration of the women who participate. This year's Expotique offered a range of activities including course preview talks, race day nutrition advice, a photo booth, an oxygen bar, manicures, massages, and on-stage presentations by Joan Benoit Samuelson and gold-medal Olympic soccer player Brandi Chastain among other athletes. Participants could also purchase Nike Women's Marathon apparel, Nike footwear and Nike+ products.

ABOUT NIKE

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.

Source: NIKE, Inc.