Running Experts to Provide Pre-race Motivation For Grandmas Marathon

As Grandmas Marathon approaches, volunteers get ready for a long and rewarding day and runners start to get a little anxious to lace up and hit the road.  Runners should take advantage of the guest speakers Grandmas Marathon offers the day before the race.

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 20 in Edmund Fitzgerald Hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC):

1:00 p.m.: Doug Kurtis, Grandma’s Marathon 1989 and 1993 Champion
Doug Kurtis is the world record holder for the most career sub 2:20 marathons ever run (76) and the most marathon victories (39), two of which were here at Grandma's Marathon in 1989 and 1993. This past October at the Detroit Marathon, Doug added to his phenomenal career highlights when he ran his 200th sub-3 hour marathon!

2:00 p.m.: Ann Sudoh, M.D., Essentia Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Dr. Sudoh chose Sports Medicine and Orthopedics because it was a way for her to apply her passion for athletics and fitness to help people stay active and healthy. She enjoys the partnerships that are created with patients as she helps them recover from their injuries. She says, “Working together to find a treatment plan that’s effective and also works with the patient’s life is a team effort." Dr. Sudoh sees patients at Essentia Health Clinics in Duluth, Hibbing, and Superior. She earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis; completed her residency in Family Medicine at the Duluth Family Practice Center in Duluth; and is certified by the American Board of MedicalSpecialties in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. Dr. Sudoh is the Medical Director for University of Minnesota-Duluth Athletics and the team physician for the UMD Women's hockey team. She has also been the Medical Director for the American Birkebiner and the Superior Man Triathlon. She is an avid runner, biker and triathlete and competes in races throughout the country---most notably the 2012 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

3:00 p.m.: Marshall Ulrich, Ultrarunner, mountaineer, adventure racer and author of Running on Empty

Marshall Ulrich is an ultrarunner, mountaineer, and adventure racer who shares his extreme athletic experience and expertise with others through public speaking engagements, magazine articles, books, training camps, and expeditions. He’s been featured in major media, including top news programs, adventure TV shows, and full-length film documentaries. Considered an “Endurance King” by Outside magazine, Ulrich’s specialty is competing in extreme conditions. He has climbed Mount Everest, crossed Death Valley (on foot, in July) a record 22 times, completed the Seven Summits all on first attempts, finished more than 100 ultramarathons averaging over 100 miles each, and is one of only three people in the world to have competed in all nine Eco-Challenge adventure races. In addition to numerous articles for trade magazines and contributions to other people’s books, Marshall Ulrich has written a memoir, Running on Empty. It captures the raw and fascinating intensity of the extraordinary physical and mental effort required to complete his transcontinental crossing as he attempted, at age 57, to break a record set two decades before by a 28 year old.

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 12th 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.