Nissan returns to partner with the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & Half-Marathon

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan is once again partnering with the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon, which returns to Nashville on Saturday, April 26. The partnership between Nissan and the race, which is entering its sixth consecutive year, includes presenting sponsorship of the half-marathon. In addition, the 2014 Nissan Rogue will serve as the official Marathon pace car, one of 20 Nissan vehicles supporting the race.

As part of Nissan's continued commitment to the event, consumers will be able to visit the automaker's "Innovation that excites" booth, where they can experience new Nissan vehicles, have their photo taken, and enter the Nissan Nashville Proud Sweepstakes for a chance to win a 2015 Country Music Marathon VIP Package and Daily Ticket Giveaways.

The Health & Fitness Expo at the Nashville Music City Center is free and open to the public from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday April 24 and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT Friday, April 25. The Finish Line Festival will take place on Saturday, April 26 from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CST at LP Field.

Nashville-area Nissan employees will also play a big role in the 15th annual race as nearly 400 employees from the company's North American headquarters in nearby Franklin, Tenn. Are expected to participate in the marathon or half-marathon on Saturday. In addition, over 100 Nissan employees, friends and family are volunteering at the Nissan Water Station along the course on Saturday.

"Nissan is proud to once again support our hometown marathon and Health & Fitness Expo, as well as the great work of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," said Jon Brancheau, vice president, marketing, Nissan North America, Inc. "Our employees really get behind the weekend's events, both as race participants and volunteers, as part of our year-round efforts to support our commitment to the local communities around the world where we live and work."

"We're thankful to have a great partner in Nissan and their commitment to this event has lead to another year of success for both companies," said Sean Clottu, Vice President of Sales Development & Activation at Competitor Group. "Given Nissan's North America headquarters is in the Nashville area, this is a significant market for them to support the local community and reinforce their passion for fitness and performance. We look forward to working together to develop new and innovative ways to engage participants through memorable event experiences and support runners on the completion of this significant milestone."

The St. Jude Country Music Marathon & Half-Marathon presented by Nissan begins at 7 a.m. CST on Saturday, April 26 at Nashville's Centennial Park. From there, the course continues through the heart of Nashville, passing iconic area locations such as Belmont University, the Tennessee State Capitol Building, Shelby Park and the Cumberland River before finishing at LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans.

For more information or to register for the event, visit runrocknroll.com/nashville and follow the Country Music Marathon on Twitter @RunRocknRoll with the hashtag #RunCMM.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan
A Competitor event, the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan will celebrate its 15th running in the Music City on Saturday, April 27, 2013. Featuring many of Nashville's best live bands on 28 stages along the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses, the musically themed road race annually attracts more than 30,000 runners. Race weekend will kick off with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Thursday, April 25 and includes the ING KiDS ROCK Nashville and a post-race concert Saturday night at the Bridgestone Arena. All participants receive a free ticket to the concert. Over the 14-year history of the race, runners have raised more than $23 million for a variety of worthy causes and nonprofit organizations, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. For more information, please visit Competitor.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.

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Media Contacts:

Sammy Eanes
(540) 525-0864
seanes@catalystpublicrelations.com

Kim Dettwiller
(615) 330-5656
teamstrategies@gmail.com

Emily Gibbs
(858) 527-5483
egibbs@competitorgroup.com

Josh Clifton
(615) 725-1767
josh.clifton@nissan-usa.com