Grandma's Marathon Speakers Announced

Austin-Jarrow Sports and Grandma’s Marathon invite runners and other guests to sit back, relax and get inspired as they listen to this year’s excellent line-up of guest speakers. Four exciting presentations will be delivered by the following running experts on Friday, June 21 in Edmund Fitzgerald Hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC):

1:00 p.m.: Rich Benyo, author of Timeless Running Wisdom and editor of Marathon & Beyond magazine

Rich Benyo presents “XI Commandments of Marathoning.” In the days of the First Running Boom, newbies were eager to learn the Rules of the Road when it came to running and especially marathoning. There was no Internet in those days, so new runners learned at the smelly feet of veteran runners: Where to line up at the start of a race; how much mileage per week is most effective; what to eat the night before a big race, and so on. Today runners are so overloaded with information in all phases of their existence that it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to running and racing. In this presentation Rich will review 11 blind alleys down which no marathoner should run.

2:00 p.m.: Dr. Jack Scaff, founder of the Honolulu Marathon and cardiologist known for training the first American to complete a marathon after a heart attack

Dr. Jack Scaff presents “The Immortal Runner; Vitality and Aging.” We all know that vigorous physical activity promotes health and reduces disease by surprising amounts.  But why are there variables in the types and duration of exercise versus longevity?  Dr. Scaff will confirm that walking, jogging, running in increments of one hour three times per week (or perhaps a bit more) is superior to all other types of exercise (and yes that includes swimming, biking, tennis and soccer).   Why this disparity in benefits?   Because man, after adopting the upright posture became evolutionarily a long distance runner. Long distance running however, gives the “immortal runner” a good head start and a distinct advantage.

3:00 p.m.: Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist and American Marathon Record Holder

Deena Kastor earned the Olympic Bronze Medal for the Marathon distance at the 2004 Games. Her performance was just the second women’s marathon medal in Olympic history for an American, following Joan Benoit Samuelson’s Gold at the 1984 Olympic Games. Kastor is also a two-time World Cross Country silver medalist, five-time U.S. 10,000m champion, five-time U.S. 15km champion, seven-time U.S. Cross Country champion and Eight-time NCAA All-American. Kastor holds the American Record for the women’s marathon distance, 2:19.36, which she earned for her performance at the 2006 London Marathon.

4:00 p.m.: Dick Beardsley – Grandma's Marathon course record holder

Dick Beardsley is known as one of the best marathon runners in U.S. history. Winner of Grandma’s Marathon in 1981 and 1982, Dick holds the course record with a time of 2:09:37.  His most famous race, however, took place at the 1982 Boston Marathon where he crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 53 seconds, just two seconds behind Alberto Salazar. This personal best is ranked the 11th fastest U.S. men's marathon time in history. After a series of accidents, injuries and life-altering events, Dick remains a prominent figure in the running community and travels around the world to share his amazing story.

All presentations are FREE and open to the public. For more information, log onto www.grandmasmarathon.com.