AMSTERDAM, Nov. 22 --Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest ING is pleased to announce ING Life, Thailand has signed an agreement to become the title sponsor of the Thailand Temple Run. The marathon will be officially titled the "ING Thailand Temple Run" and will be held on Saturday, 19 March 2005. The ING Thailand Temple Run is an international marathon and a member of AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Road Races). This marathon is unique in that it brings together local and overseas competitors to run in spectacularly picturesque locations around Samut Songkram, an area south-west of Bangkok with over 100 temples, surrounded by small villages, rice paddies and lush vegetation. The race includes 42.195 km (Full Marathon), 21.100 km (Half Marathon), 10.550 km (Fun Run), and 1k (Double-Kids Run) challenges. The ING Thailand Temple Run is ING's seventh marathon (title) sponsorship. Along with the ING Thailand Temple Run, ING sponsors the marathons in Amsterdam, Brussels, Edmonton, New York, Ottawa, and Taipei. All sponsorships are part of a broader program ING is rolling out in a number of selected international markets. This global sponsorship program, ING Globerunners, aims to enhance awareness of the unified ING brand by supporting distance running events. Distance running fits well with ING values such as challenging limits, long-term vision and the drive to do more. In addition, running attracts a diverse field of participants and spectators in terms of gender, age and nationality which matches the diverse and international character of ING's clients. The ING Globerunners Program demonstrates ING's serious commitment to the sport of running and its desire to add to the development of the sport. ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking,insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of approximately 112,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand. Press enquiries: ING Group, Dailah Nihot, +31 20 541 6516, [email protected] ING Asia/Pacific, Karen Williams, +852 2913 8536, [email protected] ING Life Thailand, Chavalit Thongrom, +66(0)2263-3900 ext 9008, [email protected] SOURCE: ING --Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--