ING Turns the Big Apple into the Big Orange as Marathon Approaches

New Yorkers may note the city taking on a distinct shade of orange as the weekend approaches. This hue is not from falling autumn leaves, but rather ING's title sponsorship of the ING New York City Marathon and its signature color blanketing the city.

The financial services leader is celebrating its fifth year as the first ever title sponsor of the premier marathon, which takes place on Sunday, November 4. To celebrate, ING will support the 38,000 runners and their 2.5 million fans with everything from "GO!" signs to official orange cheering zones.

New Yorkers will also know the race is in town through the New York Road Runners' out-of-home, print, television and radio advertising campaign, as well as a number of ING give-aways splashed in orange, including 5,000 pom- poms and ball caps, 10,000 stickers for runners to wear on their shirts and 45,000 pairs of sunglasses.

As the title sponsor of several major running events in the United States, including the ING New York City Marathon, the ING Miami Marathon, the ING Georgia Marathon and the ING Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, ING works closely with race organizers and the community to provide runners, residents and spectators alike with a great racing experience.

"Creating an energetic, positive, and distinctly 'orange' feeling in New York City during race week is something we strive for each year," noted Toby Hoden, chief marketing officer for ING US Financial Services. "We're confident that our fifth anniversary as the title sponsor will mark another great year in race history."

ING and New York Road Runners also developed a charitable companion to the company's growing running sponsorship portfolio, the ING Run for Something Better program. Launched in 2004, the initiative funds community and school- based running programs in the markets where ING sponsors running events. In New York City alone, ING funds have benefited thousands of children involved in programs of the New York Road Runners Foundation and the City Parks Foundation.

This year former New York Rangers Goaltender Mike Richter is supporting New York children and the Run for Something Better. Richter joined forces with ING to encourage more children to fight childhood obesity and get active. He will be running the marathon on Sunday, wearing a pair of ING's special orange laces which are given to kids' fitness supporters who make a charitable contribution at www.orangelaces.com. In fact, nearly 4,000 racers will join Richter in wearing orange laces during the race to show their support of children's fitness.

About ING

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 120,000 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 the ING Run for Something Better

The ING Run for Something Better is a fundraising campaign that supports community and school-based youth running programs. Linked to ING's long- distance race sponsorships, the program was created to introduce kids to the benefits of sport, a habit of physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle that prevents conditions such as childhood obesity. In today's world of poor nutrition and less-active lifestyles - which may contribute to childhood obesity - ING is using its position as a sponsor of marathons worldwide as a platform for helping kids get fit through free school-based running programs. ING's goal is to invest in the health of American children by donating $2 million to running programs to get 500,000 kids running by 2010. ING has also created a special charitable fund to encourage others to support the cause by making their own contribution. When someone donates $10 or more to the ING Run for Something Better, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a special pair of orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to supporting kids' fitness. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of orange laces go to the ING Run for Something Better fitness programs. For more information about the orange laces, go to www.orangelaces.com.

About The ING New York City Marathon

The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing more than 98,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and more than 300 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the 710,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.

About the New York Road Runners Foundation

New York Road Runners Foundation (NYRRF) was originated in 1998 by the New York Road Runners (NYRR), organizers of the ING New York City Marathon and the foremost running association in the world. The Foundation carries out NYRR's youth service mission by establishing running programs that promote at-risk children's physical health, emotional well-being and personal achievement. The Foundation's school day and after school programs provide children with the structure, motivation and methodology to become physically fit now and to remain fit for life. Our programs feature goal setting, nutritional and academic components and currently serve 30,000 children a week in more than 150 schools and community centers. Program sites are primarily located in New York City and are in other American municipalities as well as Cape Town, South Africa.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: joe.loparco@us.ing.com

SOURCE: ING New York City Marathon

CONTACT: Joe Loparco of ING US Financial Services, +1-860-723-2293,
joseph.loparco@us.ing.com

Web site: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/
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http://www.orangelaces.com/
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