63 Year Old Runs 100 Miles This Saturday to Raise Awareness for Prostate Cancer

Fort Lauderdale resident will run 100 miles solo from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach and back with friends providing crew support along the route to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 25, 2009 --(PR.com)-- UltraSports, LLC, a mission-driven running event production company, announced today that its Race Director, Bob Becker, a prostate cancer survivor, will run 100 miles on Saturday, February 28, 2009 as a prelude to the upcoming PALM100 Team Relay Race (www.palm100.com). Becker will begin at 6:00 A.M. at Las Olas Boulevard and A1A on Fort Lauderdale Beach, and expects to finish 24 to 26 hours later. Friends will provide support and encouragement along the route.

Becker, 63, is taking on this solo challenge to bring attention to prostate cancer and to the UltraSports races that raise money to battle this deadly disease. This will be Becker’s 8th run of 100 miles or longer. Asked about how “ultramarathon” running differs from shorter races, Becker said that it’s all about training to prepare physically and mentally for such an extreme test. “One of my training techniques, for example, is pulling an automobile tire behind me while running up and down the 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale. It’s great resistance training and builds leg and core strength, although it does generate some strange looks and funny comments!” he said. “So much of ultra-running is mental. Long training sessions are vital to prepare your body for many continuous hours on your feet. The run on February 28, for example, will take about 24 hours.” Becker continued: “This solo run gives me a chance to see the route on foot and be on the look-out for anything that may be of concern to a PALM100 runner on race day.”

Bob Becker arrived late as a distance runner, not competing in his first marathon until June 2002, at the age of 57. Following the Boston Marathon in 2003, Becker upped the ante. He celebrated his 60th birthday by competing in the Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile stage race in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. In spite of suffering a fractured femur after mile 115, Becker was hooked on competing in “ultramarathons”. In rapid succession after surgery and recovery, Becker began running 50 and 100-mile races, had surgery again following his own diagnosis of prostate cancer, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and competed successfully in the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135 mile race in Death Valley, California in July 2008.

Becker developed UltraSports, LLC to combine his love of running with his desire to help fight prostate cancer, the disease that also felled his father. UltraSports currently produces two events, the PALM100 in Fort Lauderdale (www.palm100.com) and the KEYS100 in the Florida Keys (www.keys100.com). Event fundraising is done in partnership with The Richard J. Fox Foundation, and funds are used primarily for free prostate cancer screenings and educational outreach in South Florida and the Keys. “We are very proud of our 4-year partnership with The Richard J. Fox Foundation, which has raised more than $2 million over the years. Prostate cancer affects one in six men in the United States. Anything we can do to curb this staggering number has the potential to positively impact millions of American men and their families,” Becker added.

About UltraSports, LLC.: A company of runners, for runners, UltraSports LLC is dedicated to creating and directing high quality ultra-marathon length running events in Florida and in other locations throughout the United States. Based in Fort Lauderdale, the Company promotes ultra-running in general and is focused at present on creating 100-mile team relay races and individual ultramarathon events in its home state.

About The Richard J. Fox Foundation: The Richard J. Fox Foundation, established in 1988, is dedicated to increasing awareness of prostate cancer through education and outreach and for finding a cure through the funding of cutting edge research. Since its founding, over $2 million has been raised to establish one of the largest free screening programs in the United States. Foundation funds have also generated NIH grants for the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, a Foundation funding priority. New research programs for gene mapping and ground breaking work using MRI's with prostate cancer patients are also underway. Since 2005, funding has also been provided for South Florida charities and medical facilities for local educational outreach and free prostate cancer screenings.

Bob Becker
Race Director
UltraSports, LLC