A Letter from the President

Hello Marathon friends,

I hope this note finds everyone’s well. We’ve been super busy in recent months, and I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts:

We were thrilled to see that our coaches were once again well received at the industry’s biggest shows including the Florida RV SuperShow (where we showcased #1316 – an H3 double slide – and #1310 – an H3 quad slide) and the Prevost Motorhome Expo (where we debuted #1317 – the industry’s first luxury bus conversion on Prevost’s new X3 shell). We also hosted multiple Marathon events at Motorcoach Resort St. Lucie West to Outdoor Resorts Indio where we danced the night away while people toured Marathons and enjoyed the food and music. Plus, we saw tens of thousands of people between well-attended Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale and the National Automobile Dealers Association show in Las Vegas. With Taco Tuesdays, Test Drive Thursday, not to mention a Mardi Gras party and more, we’ve been celebrating the luxury motorcoach life with you side-by-side.

We were especially excited to complete the first bus conversion on the new Prevost X3 chassis and display it at the Prevost Expo. In addition to Prevost’s innovation – including 8-10% fuel efficiency boost, increased structure rigidity and safety, and more – Engineering Manager Jay Graham and his team pushed further creating even more usable space, higher ceiling and broader views. The updated X3 chassis as it comes from Prevost is 2.5 inches higher on the interior than the previous model. Because Prevost eliminated the rounded corners along the roofline and made them “arc to arc,” much like an H3, we were able to raise our finished ceiling an additional half inch for a total ceiling height increase of 3 inches over the previous X3 model – we begin with an incredible 91.5 inches unfinished floor to roof beams. This increased ceiling height – combined with wider windows – results in additional exposed height and interior space at eye level. If you get the chance, check out one of the upcoming Marathon X3s, including #1324, #1325 and #1330.

If you’ve haven’t already heard, Chris Lewis has been appointed Marathon Coach Texas Service Manager. Already a part of our team for several years as a top technician, as Service Manager, Chris is already doing a fantastic job, and I’ve never been more excited about the future of Marathon Coach Texas. If you haven’t visited Marathon Coach Texas lately, I encourage you to do so. Plus, to complement Chris’s leadership, we continue to invest in all areas of Marathon Coach Texas including technician training and facility upgrades.

It’s almost time for the Club’s spring rally and I look forward to seeing many of you in Tucson in late March. We have over 35 coaches signed up, and with a terrific slate of activities planned, we’re all bound to have a good time.

Most of you probably heard the announcement that this year’s Marathon NASCAR rally will be taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the now famous road course/oval configuration, “The Roval.” Happening October 7 – 11, 2020, this year’s race is during NASCAR’s playoffs so the racing action will be awesome! We’ve lined up some thrilling and exclusive opportunities, including private tours of Penske Racing’s NASCAR and IndyCar race shops, a private dinner at Hendrick Motorsports with tours of the race shop and Mr. Hendrick’s personal car collection, high speed karting at one of the finest karting tracks in the country, exclusive driver/special guest appearances and so much more. For more information or to sign up, contact my Executive Assistant Teri Moser at 800-234-9991 or [email protected].

I’m pleased to report that the bus conversion market continues to be exceptionally strong. At this moment, our pre-owned inventory is exceptionally low, so if you have a Marathon coach that has been sitting idle for whatever reason, now is a great time to consign or sell your Marathon Coach outright. If you’d like to learn more about the value of your coach, be sure to contact your Marathon sales representative or email Marathon’s Sales Manager Michael LaBrasseur at [email protected].

While I talk to many of you as we run into each other at events, I’m always interested in feedback good or bad. If you have input and/or ideas to make us better, I can be reached at [email protected]. As always, I look forward to seeing you out and about soon, and of course, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can do anything for you.