FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
-------------------------- 
Of interest to editors/authors
covering: General Editorial, Politics/Patriotism, Running/Walking


THE GREAT RACE FOR PEACE IS ON!

BURLINGTON, VT and WASHINGTON D.C. - Mar. 14, 2003 /PRnetwire.com/ -- Their
breath showing white in the chilly morning air, a small but determined group of
runners, and Vermont state officials and legislators gathered at 8am Tuesday on
the Statehouse steps in Montpelier, Vermont to launch the historic "Great Race
for Peace."

The Great Race for Peace, initiated and organized by the Burlington,
Vermont-based Patriots for Peace, is a foot relay from Montpelier to the Capitol
steps in Washington, DC. Running and walking around the clock, the group plans
to arrive in Washington at or before noon on March 17th. The date was originally
chosen to coincide with the deadline for Iraqi disarmament imposed by President
Bush. Although this deadline has now been extended by negotiation, the very real
possibility that Bush will drop the resolution altogether in favor of unilateral
attack on Iraq has added new urgency to the Race for Peace, and has made the
Race team determined to reach Washington as soon as they are able.

Along the way, the race's organizers will collect as many messages as possible
to bring to the President, urging him to find a peaceful resolution to the
situation in Iraq.

Running through snow, mud, and unseasonably cold weather, the Race team met with
a mixed -- but generally positive -- reaction from spectators. Some tried to
pick fights, and the group was nearly arrested for parking their mobile home in
a shopping center in Danbury, Connecticut. At many other places along the route,
however, the Great Race for Peace has been greeted with cheers, messages, and
candlelight vigils.

Messages can be delivered by hand to the runners as they pass through towns in
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland this weekend, or sent by email to the
Patriots for Peace website. The team's route and location can be tracked on
their website.

A core group of runners, walkers, and support people are traveling with the
relay in a thirty-four-foot support vehicle. Members of the group will be
available for interviews, discussions, and to collect messages along the route.

Runners and other local helpers are urgently needed to make this effort
successful. For more information, to volunteer to run/walk or help, to download
posters, or make a donation to support the Great Race for Peace, visit
www.PatriotsForPeace.org.

Contact: 
Sasha O' Connor 
802-343-0014 
or Tod Backe at 508-259-9770
press@patriotsforpeace.org





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[source of news = Patriots for Peace]


S2P-PRN-SEL/ The Patriots for Peace Great Race is On!

ref: http://www.send2press.com/2archive/2003/pr_03_0314-peacerace.txt
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