August 12, 2009
52nd Annual RRCA National Convention speakers announced featuring Bill Rodgers as keynote speaker.
The organizers of the 52nd Annual RRCA National Convention are pleased to announce the speaker line up for 2010 convention.
Bill Rodgers, one of marathon’s most recognizable names, will be the keynote speaker for the RRCA awards banquet held in conjunction with the National Convention on April 24th 2010. Rodgers, an American runner and former American record holder in the marathon, is best known for his victories in the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon in the late 1970s. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Rodgers won both races four times each between 1975 and 1980, twice breaking the American record at Boston with a time of 2:09:55 in 1975 and a 2:09:27 in 1979. In 1977 he won the Fukuoka Marathon, making him the only runner ever to hold the championship of all three major marathons at the same time. He made the 1976 U.S. Olympic team and raced the marathon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, finishing 40th. He did not participate in the Olympics in 1980 due to the U.S. boycott over the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR.
In 1975 he won the bronze medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, equaling Tracy Smith's 1966 bronze in the International Cross Country Championships as the highest an American had ever finished in international cross country competition. Rodgers' most remarkable year on the road racing circuit came in 1978 when he won 27 of the 30 races he entered, including the Pepsi 10,000 meter nationals (with a new world road 10K best time of 28:36.3), the Falmouth Road Race, and the Boston & New York marathons. Rodgers is also the former world record holder for 25 kilometers as he broke Pekka Paivarinta's world record with a time of 1:14.11.8 on a track in Saratoga, California in 1979.
Track & Field News ranked Rodgers #1 in the world in the marathon in 1975, 1977 and 1979. Of the 59 marathons Rodgers ran, 28 were run under 2:15. In all, he won 22 marathons in his career. “Having Bill Rodgers as keynote speaker is a huge feather in our cap and part of the reason the 52nd Annual Convention will be a memorable event,” said Jean Knaack, Executive Director RRCA.
Pat Williams, Senior vice President of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, will be guest speaker for the Friday April 23rd luncheon. As one of America's top motivational, inspirational, and humorous speakers since 1968, he has been in the NBA as general manager for teams in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia - including the 1983 World Champion 76ers - and now the Orlando Magic, which he co-founded in 1987. In the last 13 years, he has completed 50 marathons - including the Boston Marathon 12 times - and also climbed Mt. Rainier. He is a weightlifter, Civil War buff and serious baseball fan.
Keith Brantly will be guest speaker for the Saturday April 24th luncheon. With 15 years experience as a professional runner, Brantly is considered by many experts to be one of the United States' most successful distance runners of the1980's and 1990's. At distances from the mile to the marathon his accomplishments include: 1996 United States Olympic Team Member in the Marathon and U.S. Olympic Trials participant in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 for 5K,10K and marathon, competing in a total of seven trials events. Brantly was also a 12-time member of United States National track, road racing and cross-country teams and an eight-time United States National Roadracing Champion in the 10K, 20K, 25K and marathon. Brantly’s lifetime personal bests include: Marathon 2:12:31, Fifteen kilometers 42:50, Ten kilometers 28:02, Five kilometers 13:36.
The convention will run April 21st – 25th 2010 and will include guest speakers, educational sessions and networking opportunities for RRCA clubs from all over the country. For more information on the convention or specific events associated with the convention please visit http://www.RRCAConvention.org.
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About RRCA:
The RRCA is the national association of running clubs, running events, and runners. The mission of the RRCA is to promote running as a competitive sport and healthy exercise. The RRCA achieves their mission by promoting the common interests of its members by providing educational opportunities, programs, and services. The organizations membership consists of over 988 running clubs and events the represent over 180,000 running club members in the US.
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