88,000 Miami-Dade County Students Get More School-Based Physical Activity Through ING Run for Something Better Program

As Miami-Dade County Public School students kick off the school year on Monday, organizers and the title sponsor of the ING Miami Marathon are set to kick-off a school-based running program for 88,000 middle school students. The ING Run for Something Better is a privately funded program created by ING and the FIT MIAMI Foundation in conjunction with the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon and in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The inaugural running program will motivate and challenge each middle school student in Miami-Dade County to complete a full marathon, covering 26.2 miles in 25 weeks. On Sunday, January 29, 2006, students who have completed 25 miles through the school program will be invited to run "The Final Mile" during the ING Miami Marathon, finishing at the official finish line with professional international marathoners and more than 10,000 runners at Bayfront Park.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050525/CLW064LOGO )

The ING Run for Something Better program is part of ING's commitment to the ING Miami Marathon and the community of South Florida. The running program allows Miami-Dade Public Schools to construct a strong focus on physical activity and healthy lifestyles while supporting the physical education curriculum already established in the schools. The program encourages children to lead active and healthy lifestyles while engaging them in a goal-oriented program. "Running is a fun and fulfilling thing for anyone to do," said Dave Brenner, the Program Coordinator. "By motivating our children to enjoy running, we can inspire parents, friends and neighbors to run and positively affect the health and future of our entire community."

A recent study by the National Center for Health Services indicates that 30.4% of children ages 12-19 are overweight or at risk of being overweight. An additional concern for children in South Florida is a higher frequency of overweight adolescents in minority populations, where over 40% of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic black children ages 12-19 are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

"The ING Run for Something Better program reflects our desire to support and enhance the sport of running in a way that will positively affect people of all ages and walks of life -- including children and young people," said Toby Hoden, chief marketing officer for ING US Financial Services. "We are thrilled to be teaming with the FIT MIAMI Foundation to provide a program that helps motivate and inspire the 88,000 middle school children in Miami-Dade County to lead physically active and healthy lifestyles. Our hope is that this program will inspire life long fitness goals among the young people in Miami-Dade County."

Organizers have printed program material for the ING Run for Something Better in English and Spanish in order to communicate with the Hispanic community in Miami. "It is important that the entire community knows that we are here to provide them with the means to a healthier and happier future," said Robert Pozo, Race Director for the ING Miami Marathon. "The ING Miami Marathon belongs to Miami-Dade County and it is our mission to enrich the lives of everyone in this diverse, cultured and great community."

The ING Run for Something Better culminates on January 29, 2006 where race organizers plan to host the largest single day kids' race in the world, as everyone completes the "Final Mile." Each child who completes the program receives a special race t-shirt, a finisher's medal, and other great items to celebrate their accomplishment as the youngest marathoners in South Florida.

The ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is at 6 a.m. on Sunday, January 29, 2006.

  PRESS INQUIRIES:

  PR Racing:    Danny Elfenbein
                305-278-8668
                dannye@prracingevents.com

  ING:          Caroline Campbell
                770-618-3801
                caroline.campbell@us.ing.com


  ABOUT ING

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 113,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

In the U.S., the ING family of companies offer a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients which include life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 14 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit www.ing.com.

ABOUT PR Racing

PR Racing is a Miami based Health and Fitness Event Management Company devoted providing awareness to the community for improved and healthier lifestyles. As the producers of the Miami Marathon and Half Marathon and Escape to Miami Triathlon, PR Racing has established world class destination events that draw thousands of international participants to Miami-Dade County on an annual basis. PR Racing prides itself in creating opportunities for their own city and all of their neighbors to live healthier and happier through the production of fitness events.

ABOUT ING Miami Marathon

The ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is the premier running event in South Florida. The race creates awareness for healthy lifestyles in the local community. The 4th annual race runs on January 29, 2006 with over 10,000 runners and walkers expected to be in Miami, Miami Beach, and Miami-Dade County. The event has created an estimated $35 million economic impact on the surrounding community. For more information, visit www.ingmiamimarathon.com or call 305-278-8668.

ABOUT ING Run for Something Better

Running, as a sport, reflects the many of ING's core values such as challenging limits, long-term vision and doing things differently. The ING Run for Something Better program reflects ING's desire to support and enhance the sport of running in a way that will positively affect people across age groups in multiple communities. A collaborative program, it is also intended to further advance PR Racing's efforts to promote health and fitness, and is expected to have a visible impact on the local community in Greater Miami.

ABOUT FIT MIAMI Foundation

The FIT MIAMI Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to promote and create awareness of healthy lifestyles for the community of Miami- Dade County with a focus on health and physical education through voluntary, exciting, goal-oriented running programs that will improve the lifestyle of children and young adults.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050525/CLW064LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: ING

CONTACT: Danny Elfenbein of PR Racing, +1-305-278-8668, or
dannye@prracingevents.com; or Caroline Campbell of ING, +1-770-618-3801, or
caroline.campbell@us.ing.com

Web site: http://www.ing.com/us
http://www.ing.com/
http://www.ingmiamimarathon.com/