ING Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo
"A NEW SOUTHERN TRADITION. COME RUN WITH US!"
DRIVEN BY SATURN
One Georgia Dome Drive
Atlanta, Ga. 30313-1591
EXPO DATES AND TIMES:
Friday, March 28, 2008 9:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, March 29, 2008 9:00am - 6:00pm
Admission - Free!
Click here for more information on becoming an Exhibitor
Special Guest Speakers
Click here for Speaker Schedule
Katherine Switzer Kathrine Switzer will always be best known as the woman who challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon and became the first woman to officially enter and run the event. Her entry created an uproar and worldwide notoriety when a race official tried to forcibly remove her from the competition. Four decades later, the incident continues to capture the public imagination. Katherine has run 35 marathons, won the 1974 New York City Marathon and in 1975 was ranked 6th in the world and 3rd in the USA in women’s marathon. After a successful athletic career, she turned her attention to the creation of women’s opportunities in sport, a sports marketing career, communication, and motivating others in both fitness and business. In April 2007, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her first running the Boston Marathon, Katherine launched her memoir,Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports.
First Female Marathoner, Marathon Champion, Author, Inspirational Speaker
Grete Waitz
The career of Norway’s Grete Waitz is legendary. As one of the world’s top athletes, her accomplishments include:
Grete's Olympic career spanned over 20 years, from the Munich Games in 1972, in which she ran the 1500 meters, the longest distance available to women, to the first women’s marathon in 1984. Waitz has been credited with placing women’s marathoning on the map, and her accomplishments lead to the inclusion of that distance to the Olympic program.
In 1991, Runner’s World Magazine’s international expert panes voted Waitz as the Best Female Distance Runner in the world in the past quarter century. In 2000, she was chosen as the Marathoner of the Century by Track & field News. In 2003, International Athletic Association Federation chose her as the best female cross country runner in the history of the sport. Outside the famous Bislett Stadium in her native Oslo, a statue of Waitz was unveiled in 1984. A full size copy of the bronze statue is also located at the Norwegian Pavilion at the Epcot Centre in Florida. Her native country has honored her with a set of stamps.
Dick Beardsley
Marathon Champion, Motivational Speaker, Life “Survivor”
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Dick is a captivating motivational and inspirational speaker who visits schools, corporations, and races in cities around the world. He also has a marathon camp and two high school running camps. Dick is a member of Team New Balance. To learn even more about Dick, visit www.dickbeardsley.com. The Dick Beardsley Foundation was recently established to help individuals who cannot afford treatment for chemical dependency. The work of the Foundation allows Dick to travel around the country, talking to children about positive, active lifestyles, and being chemically free. For more information, go to: www.dickbeardsleyfoundation.com
Helen Klein
Hall of Fame Runner Would Rather Wear Out than Rust
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Helen, a retired nurse, began running at the age of 55 on a homemade track around her front yard and finished last in her first race, a ten miler. Now 85, Helen’s creed is "Disciplined, determined, dedicated. I always do my best to finish anything I start." She has started and finished over 100 marathons and over 140 ultramarathons. She’s finished the Marathon Des Sables, a 145-mile stage race across the Sahara Desert; the 5-day 100-mile Stage Race in the Himalayas; and an Ironman Triathlon. Helen is also the oldest person to complete ultrarunning’s Grand Slam (four 100-mile races in the same year). As to why she does difficult events at her age, Helen says, "I would rather wear out than rust out". |
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD
Sports Nutritionist and Author of Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions
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Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, an internationally known sports nutritionist, is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD). She counsels both competitive athletes and casual exercisers. Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions (2007) and Cyclist’s Food Guide: Fueling for the Distance (2005) are written from her passion for helping novice marathoners and cyclists, including those participating in charity training programs such as the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training. These books help aspiring athletes enjoy reaching their goals.
Patty Dillon
Past World Record Holder, Marathon Winner, Plans for 2008 Olympics
Patti got the marathon bug just a couple of months into her running career, and she ran a 2:53:40 first marathon, qualifying for the 1976 Boston Marathon. In the process of training, Patti learned to live a healthier lifestyle, which included quitting smoking two years after she started running. Patti went on to set the American record three times for the marathon. She also was the first American woman to break 2:30 (2:29:34 at New York), and her marathon PR is 2:27:52, which she set at Boston in 1981. A three-time Boston runner-up (1979–1981) and four-time Honolulu Marathon winner (1978–1981), setting a new course record each time, Patti has also held American or World records at the following distances: 5 miles, 10K, 15K, 20K, half-marathon, and 30K. She was twice voted Road Runner of the Year by Track & Field News, Runner’s World, and Running Times. Patti is in training to try to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon.
Dawna Stone
Dawna Stone is a highly visible health and fitness personality who is constantly promoting the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle. In addition, Dawna won The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. She hosts a talk radio show, called Health and Fitness Talk with Dawna Stone, on Sirius Satellite radio, and a regular fitness segment on Martha Stewart’s daytime television show called You Can Do It With Dawna Stone. Dawna is a competitive tri-athlete and has completed the Hawaii Ironman.
Scott Rigsby
Double Amputee Triathlon Champion and Atlanta, Georgia resident
 Photo by ASI |
“Doing the Unthinkable” is a motto Scott Rigsby embraced when he decided in 2005 to change the world by breaking down barriers for physically challenged athletes. Little did Scott Rigsby know that the inspirational journey he would take would soon impact generations of able bodied people as well. He completed 13 triathlons and 5 road races on his way to setting world records for a double below-the-knee amputee in the ING Georgia Full Marathon, Half Ironman, and International Distance Triathlon, earning him a spot on the 2006 USA Triathlon Team. As his accomplishments mounted, so did Rigsby’s desire to do the unthinkable and take his mission to the next level. He would tackle one of the toughest endurance test of them all, the Ironman, to raise the bar and inspire all challenged athletes to reach beyond their circumstances. On October 13, 2007, after enduring the elements for 16 hours and 43 minutes, Scott Rigsby became the first double amputee in the world to finish an Ironman distance triathlon with prosthetics at the 140.6-mile World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Rigsby used “swim legs” to navigate the difficult 2.4 mile ocean swim, “bike legs” to cycle 112 miles through the heat and gusting winds of the Big Island lava fields on a standard road bike, and “run legs” to complete the marathon segment in darkness and intense pain. Scott Rigsby is used to overcoming major obstacles. At age 18, he was thrown from a truck while working a summer job and dragged over 300 feet under a 3 ton trailer. After losing his right leg, Rigsby endured over 26 surgeries in 10 years before finally deciding to “free” himself from being a professional patient and remove his left leg. Weeks later he tried running but it didn’t last. Rigsby spent years fighting his personal demons before making the commitment that if God opened a door for him, he would go through it. He busted down those doors on his way to history making, setting four world records for a below-the-knee double amputee within 18 months. That’s plenty of work in a short time to prove to other challenged athletes that they too can compete and pursue their own personal fitness goals and dreams. To expand his mission worldwide, Rigsby has formed the Scott Rigsby Foundation (501C) designed to inspire, educate and enable other amputees and all challenged athletes. Through his efforts, Rigsby remains true to his simple prayer, “maybe they all can look at me and say, you know what? Life is tough, but if this guy can make it, then I can make it.” Evidently so, Iron Man Rigsby. Learn more about Scott and the Scott Rigsby Foundation at www.scottrigsby.com. |
Tony Reed
Seven Continents Marathon Finisher, Speaker, Photographer, and Author of three books, including Running Shoes Are Cheaper Than Insulin: Marathon Adventures On All Seven Continents
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Fewer than 225 people in the world have finished marathons on all seven continents, including Antarctica. To put this in perspective, over 500 people climbed Mt. Everest in 2007 alone. Tony’s journeys and breath-taking photos are chronicled in his latest book, Running Shoes Are Cheaper Than Insulin: Marathon Adventures On All Seven Continents. There’s nothing more thrilling than encountering glaciers, 3,600 steps, penguins, fur seals, rhinos, cheetahs, and zebras on the marathon course. As an IT executive, he successfully managed multi-million dollar, international projects. His articles appeared in business publications, such as ComputerWorld. Tony fused long distance running and racing strategies with project management techniques to save corporations millions of dollars. His processes are outlined in his book, entitled The Achievement Equation: Your Formula For Success. He travels around the world and inspires runners, students, and business executives to achieve their goals. More information about Tony may be found at www.AchievementEquation.com.
The ING Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo is managed by:
