When we decided to revitalize the long-standing Sacramento Marathon in 2005 our goal was to give it a name, identity, and personality that would be fun and relevant for our community. At the risk of being offensive to some, we renamed the event the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon. Our runners not only embraced the name “Cowtown’, but also the theme, the festivities, and, of course, our cows. After all, who could resist those loveable, yet admittedly forlorn, cows that grace our race shirts each year?

Simply put, Sacramento is no longer a cowtown & the name no longer accurately describes our community. We’re ready to forge ahead proud to leave this outdated ‘description’ behind us.

Apparently, not so in Texas! The folks in Fort Worth, TX, their runners, their attorneys, and no doubt their cows, are so pleased to have the distinction of still actually being, well, a ‘cowtown’ that they will go to any lengths to covet the name ‘Cowtown Marathon’ exclusively. So, we are relinquishing the name and they can now maintain a legacy Sacramento no longer has to endure. As we go from a full to a half-marathon and a dust bowl to downtown, the timing couldn't be better! We’re excited as we now embark on the challenge of choosing a new name for our race.

Our cows have steadfastly stood by as Sacramento reinvented itself. It hasn’t been easy for them but, let’s face it, from the look on their faces, they saw it coming! They didn’t panic (as far as we could tell anyway). It turns out our cows are as progressive as our city. They think the whole thing is laughable, and they’re as anxious as we are to move on. Don’t underestimate their fervor just because they look indifferent. They’re ready for an image change and have no intention of being left behind.  So, along with a new name we are committed to retaining our annual event’s success, popularity, whimsy, and, of course, our cows!

Why not join the mêlée?  We’ve decided a contest to rename the race is the way to go. Who’s better qualified to compete than our runners? Keeping in mind that we no longer have a full marathon, be creative and submit your best idea(s) for a new name for the race.  Be original. Come up with a name that best reflects Sacramento today while keeping our cows in the mix.  Not only will you get a complimentary lifetime entry into any one of our 3 runs but you also get exclusive, unlimited bragging rights!

• We’ll consider names and themes that don’t include cows but they will have to be pretty awesome for us to abandon our cows and risk having PETA come after us!

Anyone can participate in this competition. Submit your entries by February 17, 2010. You are not limited to submitting one idea. Keep ‘em coming! Once a new name has been selected, we will service mark it and have full ownership of it (we’ve learned our lesson). There is no penalty for submitting artwork and/or descriptive narrative supporting your name/concept. There will be no royalties or other monetary compensation for the selected name. If more than 3 people submit the winning name, we will extend the lifetime-time entry to 3 of you.  A random drawing will determine which 3.