USA soccer stars join Chicago Marathon relay event

U.S. Women’s soccer stars Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan will swap their cleats for running shoes to take part in the “Let’s Run Together” charity relay during the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Bank of America launched the “Let’s Run Together” campaign, to celebrate the partnerships, connections and support systems that come together each year to stage and participate in the world-class race. The program includes a special charity relay that will select 13 runners from Chicago and around the country to run with the USA soccer trio in support of for their favorite charities during the 34th Chicago Marathon.

“As professional athletes, we know that teamwork is very often at the heart of our individual success,” said Solo. “Abby, Alex and I hope to encourage thousands of individuals to embrace the idea of partnership as a way of making a difference in their communities.”

“Just as runners rely on the support of family and friends and often run for a personal motivation or a special cause, we are grateful for the partnership we have with city, state, and federal agencies to stage a world-class event that does so much to impact the local economy and the broad nonprofit community,” said Bank of America Illinois Market President Tim Maloney. “That’s why we think it fitting that this year’s race is dedicated to the theme, Let’s Run Together.”

According to a recent report by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (R.E.A.L.), which has studied the race impact on Chicago for several years, the Chicago Marathon contributes nearly $172 million to the local economy.

This year’s race, which takes place Oct. 9, reached the 45,000 participant capacity in a record 31 days, To apply for Bank of America’s Let’s Run Together Charity Relay, individuals 18 and older may visit facebook.com/chicagomarathon to complete an entry form.