• December 8, 2011

The Dodge brand is title sponsor "Official Automotive Partner" of the inaugural "Dodge Latin Music Miami Beach Half Marathon" on Sunday, Dec. 11. The race is part of the "Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series" of which Dodge is a sponsor. The Chrysler division will promote the 2011 Dodge Durango and 2011 Dodge Charger at the event. The car and SUV will also be the pace vehicles for the race.

Dodge will have a brand experience at the race's two-day Health & Fitness Expo at Lummus Park on South Beach, where the Durango, Charger, and Journey as well as the Fiat 500 will be available to test drive. Dodge will make a $20 donation for each test drive to the participant's charity of choice, according to a company release.

Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) marathon and triathlon athletes Sarah Reinertsen and Scout Bassett will sign autographs at the Dodge Course Preview Area inside the expo. Reinertsen is the first woman on a prosthetic leg to finish the Ironman World Championship and has raced around the world on CBS' "The Amazing Race" reality TV series.

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon has some unusual twists for these kinds of events, such as bands that are arrayed along the race course. Dodge says some 300,000 runners have so far raced at the 18 events this year, and that it is the largest and most widely attended marathon series in the world.

The Dodge brand, which is "Official Automotive Partner" and "Official Vehicle" of the race series, kicked off its 2011 partnership with the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series in January with the "P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon." The company also had title sponsorship of the marathons in San Diego, Seattle, Virginia Beach, San Jose, Los Angeles and Miami Beach.