DES MOINES, IOWA--August 15, 2005 - Endurance Sports Marketing Corp. announces the acquisition of the Des Moines IMT Marathon. Thomas R. Bernau, President and sole shareholder of Endurance Sports, finalized the purchase of the annual Marathon and Half Marathon Friday, August 12th. The races will continue as scheduled on September 18th, 2005.

"I couldn't be happier to have reached this agreement with Helene Neville," said Bernau. "It was Helene's vision that brought the marathon to Des Moines and put us on the map across the country. We're committed to taking this event to the next level. Our goal is to make the Des Moines IMT Marathon a premier race for athletes from across the country and around the world to showcase our great city."

With only a little more than a month before the race, Race Director Chris Burch is busy organizing the annual event that is expected to draw 3000 people. "Most of the Des Moines hotels are already booked for the weekend and many runners are looking for hotel rooms in nearby communities. In the past week I have spoken with athletes from Atlanta to Argentina," said Burch. "I'm really impressed with the support we're getting from local businesses, and we expect more sponsors to join us in the next several weeks. We have established a great deal of momentum for this event over the past six months and it continues to grow."

Additional information about the Des Moines Marathon is available at www.desmoinesmarathon.com.