Defending Champions Schabort and Blauwet Lead 2003 ING New York City Marathon Wheelchair Entrants

Avis Becomes Presenting Sponsor of the Wheelchair Division

NEW YORK, Oct. 15 -- The field of athletes in the 2003 ING New York City Marathon Wheelchair Division Presented by Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. will be led by defending champions Krige Schabort and Cheri Blauwet on Sunday, November 2, it was announced today by ING New York City Marathon Race Director and New York Road Runners President and CEO Allan Steinfeld.

This is Avis' first year as a presenting sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon Wheelchair Division. The male and female winners of the division will each receive $3,000. On race day, Avis vehicles will transport disabled athletes to and from the course and serve as emergency wheelchair/handcycle repair stations on the five-borough course. Avis is also the official rental car company of the ING New York City Marathon.

Schabort, 40, of South Africa, finished last year's marathon in a course record time of 1:38:27. Earlier this year, he placed first in the Pittsburgh Marathon, setting a course record of 1:30:17. Schabort is an occupational therapist. He lost his legs in combat in 1987 with the South African military.

Blauwet, 23, of the U.S., won last year's marathon, clocking in at 2:14:39. She placed first in this year's City of Los Angeles Marathon (1:50:06). Blauwet recently graduated with honors from the University of Arizona, and is now attending medical school at Stanford University.

Schabort and Blauwet will each face tough competition this year. Giving chase on the men's side are Ernst Van Dyk (first, 2003 Boston Marathon), 30, of South Africa, Saul Mendoza (first, 2001 New York City Marathon), 36, of Mexico, Kelly Smith (third, 2003 BAA Boston Marathon), 38, of Canada, and Paul Nunnari (first, 2003 Cleveland Marathon), 30, of Australia. Competing on the women's side are the ING New York City Marathon course record holders (2:11:57) Frantcesca Porcellato (first, 2003 London Marathon), 33, of Italy, Christina Ripp (first, BAA Boston Marathon, 1:54:47), 23, of the U.S., and Diane Roy (first, 2003 North American 10K Championship), 32, of Canada.

"We are pleased with the return of Krige and Cheri this year," said Bob Laufer, Wheelchair Coordinator of the ING New York City Marathon. "In only the fourth year of the wheelchair division, we are excited with the strength and depth of our field of athletes."

Avis recently announced the nation's first comprehensive car rental accessibility program for travelers with disabilities. Dubbed "AVIS ACCESS," the initiative is targeted to the 54 million Americans with mobility, hearing, or visual impairments, their families, and the many international travelers with disabilities who visit the United States and Canada. The ING New York City Marathon sponsorship is being used as a platform to extend the roll-out of the program.

"We're thrilled to sponsor this great race and salute the 'We Try Harder' spirit of all the competitors, particularly the athletes with disabilities," said Scott Deaver, executive vice president of marketing for Cendant Car Rental Group, the parent company of Avis. "Often times one of the greatest challenges that competitors with disabilities will face is the stress of traveling to the marathon. With the launch of Avis Access we're helping to make their travels a little easier."

The ING New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners (NYRR). Inaugurated in 1970 with 127 entrants, the ING New York City Marathon has grown into the world's premier road race, featuring more than 30,000 participants, more than two million live spectators, a leading professional field, and a guaranteed prize purse of more than $500,000. Broadcast across the nation and in 125 countries worldwide, the 26.2-mile is the United States' most watched one-day sporting event. The ING New York City Marathon joins the USA Men's 8K Championships and the New York Mini 10K as the cornerstones of the NYRR Professional Racing Series and continues NYRR's tradition of bringing the very best runners in the world to New York City. For more information visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.

About Avis

Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate the world's second largest general-use car rental brand, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at more than 1,700 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American / Caribbean region. Avis is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty, ranking as the number one rental car brand and the number one brand overall among 182 in the 2003 Brand Keys(R) Customer Loyalty Index, and tying for the highest ranking in the 2003 J.D. Power & Associates rental car customer satisfaction study. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation , a diversified global provider of business and consumer services primarily within the real estate and travel sectors. For more information visit www.avis.com or www.cendant.com/media.