An attractive seminar schedule featuring a pair of former U.S. Olympic runners highlights the Nissan Health and Fitness Expo presented by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald which will serve as a prelude to the January 31 ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon®
Ryan Hall, who qualified for the Olympic marathon in Beijing with a record setting performance (2:09:02) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in New York and placed 10th, and two-time Olympian Elva Dryer will help educate participating runners and other attendees on various training techniques and secrets at the Expo, which will be held January 29 and January 30 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
The Nissan Health & Fitness Expo will also house more than 100 booths and interactive areas where the public can obtain the latest in running shoes and apparel and sample products. Packet pick-up for all participants takes place at the Expo and last year over 50,000 people took advantage of the two day event.
Expo hours will be Noon-7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday. Complimentary shuttle service operates during Expo hours departing from Bayside to the Convention Center and returning every 30 minutes.
Nissan's presence at the Expo will feature an appearance by Hall, who is part of Nissan's Master the Shift program which targets active lifestyle enthusiasts through a series of 13 running and cycling events nationwide, master athlete/trainer endorsements, the custom website mastertheshift.com and promotional media. Hall will offer an insider's look at how he trains for success and offer tips on how to shift performance to a new level of personal achievement. Nissan ‘Master' Tara Stiles, a yoga activist, will conduct stretching classes for race participants next to the Nissan booth.
Dryer represented the United States at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the 5000 meters. She made her second Olympic Team in 2004 in the 10,000 meters in Athens . She also was a 16-time NCAA Division II All American at Western State College of Gunnison, Colorado and seven-time National Champion ranging from distances of 800 meters to 3000 meters and Cross Country.
Registration continues at the Expo for both marathon and half marathon distances as 18,000 runners get ready to converge on the streets of Miami and Miami Beach on Sunday morning.
Runners interested in participating in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Tropical 5K benefiting the Community Partnership for Homeless that takes place on Saturday January 30th can still sign up during Expo hours on Friday.
The following is the full seminar schedule for the Nissan Health and Fitness Expo with speaker bios:
SEMINAR SCHEDULE
FRIDAY JANUARY 29
1:00 PM
Speaker: Arturo Barrios
Topic: Chasing the American Dream: How I set five world records and what you can learn from it
The first man to run under an hour for the half-marathon will share the stirring story of his journey from a poor neighborhood in Mexico City to the top of the running world. Barrios, 47, was a two-time Olympian with personal bests of 2:08 in the marathon; 13:07 for 5K; and 27:08 for 10,000 meters. He won three gold medals in the Pan American Games, and now volunteers with One World Running, distributing shoes to needy youth in developing nations.
2:15 PM
Speaker: Chris Gillespie - MED, ATC Director, Athletic Training Education - Samford University - Birmingham , AL , Founder & Executive Director - TEAM 413 - GRACERUNNER Ministries"
Topic: Feet Don't Fail Me Now - Dealing with Common Running Injuries
From one t-shirt to a worldwide ministry --- Chris Gillespie calls TEAM 413 a miracle of God's grace. In 2003 Gillespie founded TEAM 413 inspired by God's calling in his life. Even though he is the Director of Athletic Training Education at Samford University in Birmingham , Alabama ---TEAM 413 is a passion --- a labor of love for runners and other endurance athletes from all over the world. Whether challenging others to walk a lap around a track or run a mile, change an attitude or improve a relationship, Gillespie shares a message of confidence, perseverance, courage, and strength. His goal is to exhibit in his own life and to impart to others the truth of Philippians 4:13 -- “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Chris Gillespie's story is one of inspiration. He shares his words of encouragement, God's grace, and overcoming trials to running groups, churches, sports teams, and at marathons across the United States .
3:00 PM
Speakers: Elva Dryer - Two-time Olympian, 2:31 Marathoner; Michael Aish - Two-time Olympian, 2:13 Marathoner; Matt Downin - Director of Marketing, Strands.com, 2:14 Marathoner"
Topic: Marathon Training from Olympians Elva Dryer and Michael Aish
4:00 PM
Speaker: Dane Rauschenberg - Extreme Runner, Author of See Dane Run, One Man, 52 Weekends, 52 Marathons.
Looking for inspiration? Look no further than Dane Rauschenberg. In 2006, Dane went from a relative novice in marathon running to one of the more recognized names in the sport. While working a full-time job in Washington D.C. , Dane ran 52 consecutive weekly marathons starting with the first weekend in January and going until December 31st. In addition, he also raised over $44,000 for the Mobile, Alabama chapter of L'Arche, an organization which benefits the developmentally disabled, and he did all of this out of his own pocket with no corporate sponsors. If that was not enough, Dane did more than just complete those marathons – he competed in them - averaging a 3:21 for each race. Running his fastest time of the year in his 42nd marathon (a 2:59 - which broke a personal best at the time), Dane showed that he lives by his own words – that everyone should give their all regardless of what that all may be.
5:00 PM
Speaker: Lee Zohlman - BodyZen Multisport, Coach & President BodyZen Enterprises Inc."
Topic: Official ING Miami Marathon® and Half Marathon Pre-race Seminar
Lee began his multi sport career in 1996 and found his new sport to be a driving passion for a new career. Leaving the field of television broadcasting, Lee was one of the first 25 USA Triathlon coaches ever to be certified by the sport's governing body. Soon after, BodyZen Multi Sport Coaching was born. While growing the business and focusing on preparing the athletes physically as well as mentally for the rigors of multi sport racing Lee met his current wife, Erinne. Together they have steered BodyZen to new heights. Now, Coach Lee is an Elite Level 3 certified coach (one of only 20 in the world) and BodyZen has broadened its ventures. Lee and BodyZen are currently involved in not only a successful coaching business but Elite athlete management, event marketing, multimedia initiatives and BodyZen is now considered a key influencer in the sport of triathlon.
6:00 PM
Speaker: Ana Weir - Executive Director of One World Running
Topic: Running the World with One World Running
Ana Weir, named a 2005 Hero of Running by Runner's World magazine for her volunteer work, is a registered nurse and executive director of One World Running, a Colorado-based non-profit organization started in 1986 as Shoes for Africa . Weir oversees the distribution of thousands of shoes each year, to needy youth and adults in the U.S. and in developing nations. She organizes health clinics in conjunction with community races in several countries. Please bring shoes and athletic gear to donate to her talk.
SATURDAY JANUARY 30
11:00 AM
Speaker: Coach Gerard Pearlberg - USAFT Coach, Level 2, Co-Founder RunningBuzz.com, Author - "Run Tall, Run Easy"
Topic: Run Tall, Run Easy to get out of trouble when trouble strikes
Coach GP,” hails from England and has been an avid athlete for 37 of his 45 years. An international rugby player for many years, GP took up distance running in April 1990. He ran his first marathon at New York that year after being challenged by his sister Nicole. After that initial 4:41 at New York , GP was determined to find out why the marathon had been such a challenge. From that day forward, he was committed to uncovering the secrets to moving the human body through space with as much efficiency, economy, and speed as possible. Over the next 14 years, GP completed 22 marathons, including a 2:34:00 in the 1998 Napa Valley Marathon and a 4:21 mile at the Capital Mile in Sacramento at age 35. GP's professional coaching career was born. He is considered one of the top authorities on running biomechanics, and he is the full-time coach to several world-class runners, including Florida 's two time Olympic marathoner, Ronnie Holassie, and 2004 USA Olympic trialist, Deirdre Brill. GP also coaches age-group runners around the world via his Web site: www.runningbuzz.com. GP is the author of Run Tall, Run Easy: The Ultimate Guide to Better Running Mechanics, Second Edition. He has also just released his first DVD entitled “Training & Racing in Pursuit of Success, Not Fear of Failure”. A member of Team Mizuno, Coach GP co-founded the Iron Maidens all-women's running club in California and co-founded the running and triathlon camp of Mark Allen, six-time Hawaii Ironman champion. GP does TV and radio commentary, and is a frequent guest at races across North America , where his talk, “Proper Running Biomechanics: How to Get Out of Trouble When Trouble Strikes,” offers race participants concrete advice they can apply to their running the very next day in the race.
Noon
Speaker: Lisa Dorfman - MS, RD, CSSD, LMHC, Director, Sports Medicine Nutrition & Performance - UHealth Sports Nutritionist - University of Miami Athletic Department"
Topic: "Peak Performance Eating for Faster Racing, Stronger RecoveryPeak Performance Eating for Faster Racing, Stronger Recovery"
1:00 PM
Speakers: Elva Dryer - Two-time Olympian, 2:31 Marathoner; Michael Aish - Two-time Olympian, 2:13 Marathoner; Matt Downin - Director of Marketing, Strands.com, 2:14 Marathoner"
Topic: Marathon Training from Olympians Elva Dryer and Michael Aish
1:30 PM
Speaker: Ryan Hall - Nissan Master and Elite Marathoner
Topic: "Training Secrets from Ryan Hall, Presented by Nissan"
Ryan Hall is a world-class distance runner. The 26-year-old, who resides in Mammoth Lakes , CA qualified for the Olympic marathon in Beijing with a record setting performance (2:09:02) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in New York . Hall went on to finish 10th in Beijing, his fourth-ever marathon, with a time of 2:12:33. Most recently, Hall finished third in the 2009 Boston Marathon (2:09:40), becoming the first American-born athlete to reach the men's podium since 1985.
2:00 PM
Speaker: Dr. Erin Wolff - MD Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Topic: The Marathon : to finish strong or just to finish
3:00 PM
Speaker: Dane Rauschenberg - Extreme Runner
4:00 PM
Speaker: Arturo Barrios - The first man to run under an hour for the half-marathon
Topic "Chasing the American Dream: How I set five world records, and what you can learn from it"
5:00 PM
Speaker: Chris Gillespie - MED, ATC Director, Athletic Training Education - Samford University - Birmingham , AL , Founder & Executive Director - TEAM 413 - GRACERUNNER Ministries"
Topic: Faith
The ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon®, South Florida's premier running event, will be held January 31, 2010 with more than 18,000 runners racing through the streets of downtown Miami , Miami Beach and Coconut Grove. Cruise ships, neon lights, palm trees and plenty of spectators will line one of the flattest, most scenic courses in the country. The ING Miami Marathon & Half Marathon® has been ranked among the top 10 running destinations by USA Today.
Call (305) 278-8668 or visit www.ingmiamimarathon.com.
About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city's culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.
About Nissan
In North America , Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infiniti.com.
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