Thirty-five employees of E.ON U.S., parent company of Kentucky Utilities, have accepted the challenge and will compete for the "Team Challenge Trophy" as part of the Meijer Derby Festival marathon and miniMarathon races on April 29.

KU employee Ronald Perkinson, a resident of Bedford, Ky., will join four other E.ON U.S. employees on the company's only team to compete in the 26.2 mile marathon race.

Seven additional teams will participate in the miniMarathon. Although teams are officially known as "E.ON U.S. 1," "E.ON U.S. 2," etc., the company has given nicknames to the teams. Based on standards the company upholds, known as E.ON Values and Behaviors, these include names such as Team Integrity, Team Courage, and Team Trust.

"We've always had employees who took it upon themselves to run these races, but we felt like it was important, as a major corporate sponsor of the Kentucky Derby Festival, to combine our efforts and enter the Team Challenge event this year," said Chip Keeling, vice president of Communications. "Their determination and team spirit exemplify our values and behaviors and we wish them the best of luck."

The company will sponsor the following employees:

Tony Anderson
Jamie Archer
Joe Barnes
Robert Bennett
Ramona Butler
Douglas Chin
Jerry Collins
Mike Cooper
David Craven
Britt Crawford
Steve Denning
Joe Didelot
Dan Doty
Stephanie Duncan
Shervon Frazier
Angie Gosman
Steve Hood
Philip Imber
Roy Karthman
Dana Kyles
Matthew Littlefield
Danny Nall
Eric Netherton
Sandra Osborne
Ronald Perkinson
Steve Ramser
Andy Rumsey
Debbie Shelton
Laura Shuffett
Jeff Simpson
Paul Stratman
John Tichenor
Douglas Wagoner
Kimberly Walters
Elmer Wheatley


E.ON U.S. LLC, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 321,000 natural gas and 394,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 525,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.