Up to 15,000 Athletes Expected to Participate in this Year's Events; Breaking Last Year's Record SEATTLE, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating its 36th anniversary, the Seattle Marathon is a local tradition and celebration that closes the Thanksgiving weekend and kicks off the holiday season. Sponsored by Harrisdirect, an affiliate of E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp., the marathon festivities begin Friday, November 25, with the two-day Health and Fitness Expo featuring numerous giveaways, attractions and promotional sales from such sponsors as ASICS, local running stores and more. There are many ways to participate depending on your individual level of fitness, including the 26.2 mile run -- which is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and among the top 20 marathons in the U.S. -- a half-marathon run and walk, full marathon walk and the Seattle Kids Marathon, which is sponsored by Jon A. Dallman D.D.S., M.S., P.S. Because of the popularity of the kids' event -- nearly 3,000 are expected to participate this year -- the race has its own day and will be held Saturday, November 26, at 10:00 a.m. As in years past, the full-marathon will be held Sunday, November 27, beginning at 8:15 a.m. For complete event information, including registration, expo schedules and event start times, please visit http://www.seattlemarathon.org/. This year, planners anticipate up to 15,000 participating athletes, which would eclipse last year's record of 13,500. In addition, an estimated 45,000 fans are expected to line the streets to cheer the athletes as they negotiate the course, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful -- and challenging -- among the major marathon events on the calendar. For the fourth consecutive year, the marathon committee has selected the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Puget Sound (Candlelighters of Puget Sound) as the event's beneficiary. Event proceeds go directly to the organization to help children and families fighting cancer. In addition, to complement its title sponsorship of the Seattle Marathon, Harrisdirect has announced that for the third year in a row, they will match all contributions made to the Candlelighters of Puget Sound (up to $10,000) between now and race-day on November 28. In the past two years, Harrisdirect and the Seattle Marathon Association have raised over $100,000 for the Candlelighters of Puget Sound, which has helped support over 2,000 area children and families confronting the devastating illness. Contributing is easy through the marathon website -- http://www.seattlemarathon.org/. All contributions to the Candlelighters are tax-deductible. About Candlelighters of Puget Sound: The Candlelighters of Puget Sound is an all-volunteer non-profit foundation run primarily by individuals who have been affected by cancer and parents or relatives of children diagnosed with cancer. Its mission is to educate, serve and advocate for children with cancer, their families, survivors of childhood cancer and the professionals who care for them. The Puget Sound chapter is recognized by the US Government as a 501(c)(3); IRS Tax ID#: 91-2171599. The Candlelighters of Puget Sound is a chapter of the National Candlelighters organization, which has over 43,000 members and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. While Candlelighters of Puget Sound is affiliated with the National organization, it does not receive funding from the parent foundation, nor does it receive funding from any hospitals or government-run facilities. For additional information on the Candlelighters of Puget Sound and the National Candlelighters organization, please visit http://www.candlelightersps.org/. About Harrisdirect: Harrisdirect LLC is an affiliate of E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp. The E*TRADE FINANCIAL family of companies provides financial services including trading, investing, banking and lending for retail and institutional customers. EVENT INFORMATION Marathon Run, Half Marathon Run, Marathon Walk, Half Marathon Walk Date: Sunday, November 27, 2005 Start: Corner of 5th Avenue and Harrison, East of Experience Music Project Times: Marathon Walk -- 7:15 a.m. Half Marathon Run -- 7:30 a.m. Half Marathon Walk -- 7:45 a.m. Marathon Run -- 8:15 a.m. Kids Marathon Date: Saturday, November 26, 2005 Start: 5th Avenue and Republican Time: 10:00 a.m. Schedule of other events (Westin Seattle) Friday, November 25 -- Packet pick-up -- noon - 8:00 p.m. Friday, November 25 -- EXPO -- noon - 8:00 p.m. Saturday, November 26 -- Packet pick-up -- 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday, November 26 -- EXPO -- 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday, November 26 -- Bus Tour of course -- 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 26 -- Carbo Load dinner -- 6:00 p.m. Last minute registration Friday & Saturday, November 25-26 -- Westin Seattle Marathon Run/Walk -- $115 Half Marathon Run/Walk -- $85 Kids Marathon -- $10 (Late registration on Friday only) Note: There may be lines for late registration - No bib and chip pick-up on race day - No registration or changing of races on race day Title Sponsor -- Harrisdirect, an affiliate of E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corporation Kids Marathon sponsor -- Dr. Jon Dallman D.D.S., M.S., P.S. Beneficiary -- The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Puget Sound CONTACT: Charlotte Fox, Harrisdirect 201-308-3562 DATASOURCE: Harrisdirect LLC CONTACT: Charlotte Fox of Harrisdirect, +1-201-308-3562, or Web site: http://www.seattlemarathon.org/ http://www.candlelightersps.org/

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