NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TAG Heuer announced today that the world-leading luxury Swiss watch brand, recognized for its prestigious sports watches, has been named the official timekeeper and timepiece of the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, for three years, from 2014 to 2016.

"The TCS New York City Marathon perfectly embodies the TAG Heuer mindset of mental fortitude, perseverance and inner strength," said TAG Heuer North America President and CEO, Ulrich Wohn.  "Running 26.2 miles requires resilience and willpower and TAG Heuer is thrilled to celebrate those personal achievements with these ambitious individuals."

For over 150 years, TAG Heuer has been involved with competitive sports including elite partnerships in autoracing and sailing.   As the official timepiece and timekeeper of the TCS New York City Marathon, TAG Heuer is able to celebrate runners; both top professional athletes and recreational runners of all ranks who've made a commitment to a goal they've set and attained, when they thought it was impossible. 

"TAG Heuer is a legacy brand that aligns well with the TCS New York City Marathon and New York Road Runners," said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. "With their storied history in sports and commitment to performance and innovation, this is a great match with our running community and we're excited that they're recognizing some of the most inspiring runners in the marathon."

To highlight the partnership, TAG Heuer and New York Road Runners will host the "Get Your New York On" Challenge.  This gives all 2014 TCS New York City Marathon runners in North America the opportunity to submit their particular story on why they are running in this esteemed event.  Runners as well as the public have the opportunity to visit the microsite www.tcsnycmarathonchallenge.com to vote for the stories that resonate with them most.  The top trending runner stories will be featured daily on the site.

Influential athletes and personalities including TAG Heuer ambassador, Maria Sharapova will sit on the celebrity judging panel, which collectively will make the final decision of the male and female winners.

Winners will be announced in Times Square on Saturday, November 1st at a public event.  During this event, TAG Heuer will debut its extraordinary billboard that will feature the winning male and female of the challenge in the brand's ad campaign.  

To commemorate this partnership and to celebrate the winners of the "Get Your New York On" Challenge, and the top male and female in the professional runner and wheelchair fields of the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, TAG Heuer will present each champion with a prestigious and iconic timepiece.

About TAG Heuer 
Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has marked the history of luxury watchmaking, especially in the fields of sports watches and ultimate precision. A legend in prestige Swiss watchmaking and one of its most innovative brands, TAG Heuer has built on its active commitment in the sports world to create the most accurate timing instruments and wrist timepieces in the world. In 2012, thanks to the lessons learned through these achievements, TAG Heuer won the world's most coveted watchmaking award, the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix «Aiguille d'Or». TAG Heuer is unrelenting in its quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige. This ambition is reflected in its sponsorships with F1 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team and its World Champion Jenson Button, the Automobile Club of Monaco for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, and the new FIA Formula E Championship, the world's top competition for electrically powered racing cars. TAG Heuer is also a partner of Oracle Team USA, 2013 champion of sailing's most prestigious trophy, the 34th America's Cup and WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova, sharing with them the same values: human achievement and true innovation. 

About the TCS New York City Marathon 
The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world's top professional athletes and a vast range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, an estimated 50,000 runners from around the world tour New York City's five boroughs, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. Participants include Olympians, Paralympians, wheelchair racers, top age-group competitors, and many thousands who run for charity and to achieve their own personal goals. Millions of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world's six biggest marathons that determines each year's top male and top female marathoner. The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world's foremost community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the Premier Partner of NYRR and is in its inaugural year as title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. 

SOURCE TAG Heuer

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