200 Miles, Two Days and 126 Runners to Benefit Monarch School for San Diego’s Homeless Youth

San Diego, CA, April 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Local community members aim to raise money for Monarch School, a K-12 public school for children impacted by homelessness, by running 200 miles in the Annual Ragnar Relay So Cal Race. Starting Friday, April 20, and going through Saturday, April 21, participating team members will spend nearly two full days taking turns speeding down the coast as part of the “200 Miles for Monarch” fundraiser. The race starts just south of Los Angeles in Huntington Beach and goes through Anaheim, Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla, finally wrapping up on Coronado Island in San Diego.

Making testing personal limits a team sport, Ragnar is the largest overnight running relay series in the United States. Participating teams consist of 12 people who each run three legs varying in difficulty and distance, from 3 to 8 miles. Or, for elite runners, teams of six people who each run six legs.

For the So Cal race, participants run across 200 miles of California’s most scenic terrain over two days and one night. Nine teams aim to raise $50,000 for Monarch School, as follows.

· Bluepoint Solutions

· Evolve Physical Therapy

· Hammer Prep

· Monarch School staff

· Oliver McMillan

· Qualcomm

· Sharp Healthcare (two teams)

· And one team nicknamed “When in Doubt Run it Out” made up of various community supporters

*This community team is made up of elite runners with only six team members

“Monarch School is exceptionally grateful for these runners’ commitment to the school and the dedication they’ve shown our students as they train for this grueling race,” said Erin Spiewak, CEO of Monarch School. “They are role models for Monarch students and their determination and willingness to help others will stay with the children at Monarch forever.”

Evolve Physical Therapy, a specialized fitness training studio in San Diego, is further supporting the cause by offering a 25 percent discount on all services offered by the clinic (physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, running evaluations, personal training, fitness classes, etc.) for all runners supporting Monarch. Additionally, Evolve is donating 100 percent of that discount directly to Monarch School.

The community is encouraged to support the teams training for the Ragnar Race on behalf of the Monarch School. To make a donation or to learn more, visit:http://www.active.com/donate/monarch2012 or www.monarchschools.org.

About Monarch School:

Founded in 1988, Monarch School, located in downtown San Diego, is a public K-12 school exclusively for students who are at-risk and impacted by homelessness. Monarch School represents a unique public-private partnership between the San Diego County Office of Education and a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization. Today, 150 students between the ages of 4 and 19 are enrolled. Monarch School’s committed team of educators, support staff and volunteers is dedicated to providing homeless children with an accredited education while caring for their basic needs. Monarch School broke ground on its new campus in downtown San Diego in early 2012. For more information, visit http://monarchschools.org or call (619) 237-7678.

About Ragnar:

Based in Utah, Ragnar Events, LLC is the largest overnight running relay series in the United States. Traversing inspiring and scenic destinations around the country, these events make testing your limits a team sport. Teams of 12 run this 200 mile relay in the course of two days and one night. They connect in memorable relationships, conquer a challenge that could not be done alone and celebrate with medals and finish line festivities. Often called a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant, this unique relay turns out crazy costumes, inside jokes, close quarters and unforgettable stories. Begun as a single relay from Logan to Park City, Utah, in 2004 by college roommates, Dan Hill and Tanner Bell, now more than 160,000 people have run in the Ragnar Relay Series presented by Nordic Track, which boasts 15 races and is growing every year. Visit www.ragnarrelay.com for race dates and exact locations.