FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Life Time Miami Marathon Selects International Artist, Luis Valle,
to Create Custom Medal Ribbon for 2023 Event
Decade-long tradition features local artists whose designs
express beauty, love of Miami
MIAMI, October 5, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ - For nearly ten years,
participants completing the Life Time Miami Marathon, Half Marathon,
Tropical 5K and Kids Run Miami events have taken home a piece of
collectible artwork. That's because events owner and producer, Life Time
(NYSE: LTH), selects Miami-based artists each year to custom design the
finisher medal ribbon. For 2023, Life Time has chosen internationally
acclaimed artist, Luis Valle.
Valle's creations can be found all over the streets of Miami as well as in
local restaurants, bars, schools and businesses. His art also adorns the
walls of local shopping centers, including Sunset Place in South Miami,
Midtown Shops, Aventura Mall in North Miami Beach and City Place Doral.
In January 2023, 18,000 runners from across the globe will descend upon
Miami and finishers of the world-renowned event will be graced with Valle's
latest creation. Valle joins a line of elite local artists who have
designed the neck ornament for the marathon, including:
- Peter Tunney
- Rigo Leon
- Bernard Zyscovich
- Jenny Perez
- Romero Britto
"The Miami Marathon medals have long been an iconic element of our event,
but the ribbons are where the real story lies," said Nicole Bostick,
Associate Marketing Director at Life Time. "For the past decade, local
artists have designed our ribbons based on their individual interpretations
and love of our city. Their amazing renditions never fail to wow us, and
we're thrilled to unveil the 2023 edition."
Valle's goal was to feature unique aspects of the City, including nature,
South Florida sea life, the Miami cityscape and its skies.
"I grew up in South Florida and was always an outdoors person who loved the
city," said Valle. "The ribbon, because of the nature of it being long,
sets up for a story or narrative type of imagery. I wanted to capture the
water, marine life, birds, skyline and beautiful colors represented by the
beauty of Miami and its essence. I set out to make something unique and
special that people would enjoy and be excited to take home as a reminder
of their experiences."
Born in Nicaragua, Valle and his family relocated to South Florida at age
two. He took to the arts at a very young age and, by the time he was a
teenager, he was painting graffiti in the city under the moniker "GEARS."
He attended Florida State University where he earned his BFA in Visual Arts
and later received a Master of Arts Degree from New York University. It was
the exploding art culture in the South Florida community of Wynwood that
brought Valle back to Miami in 2006 and he quickly became a fixture on the
local street art scene. He has dedicated a large part of his work to the
public art spectrum, creating commissioned murals as well as paintings for
public art projects, businesses, corporate clients, private homes and
neighborhoods and becoming involved in many local organizations, several of
the city's art galleries and art studios.
Life Time will begin its annual search for the next local artist who will
be tapped to create the 2024 edition's ribbon in this December.
ABOUT THE MIAMI MARATHON
The 21st edition of the world-renowned Life Time Miami Marathon is set for
Sunday, January 29, 2023. To accommodate demand, the race field has been
expanded to a cap of 18,000 runners for the half and full marathon
distances and is again trending toward an early sellout. Participants
representing all 50 states and nearly 70 countries will take on the
USTAF-certified and Boston-qualifying flat course, which showcases the best
views of Miami's cityscape and waterways. As one of the most
internationally friendly events in the industry, Life Time personalizes the
race bib of each runner with their home country's flag.
ABOUT LIFE TIME
Life Time (NYSE: LTH) empowers people to live healthy, happy lives through
its portfolio of nearly 160 athletic country clubs across the United States
and Canada including Life Time Coral Gables, which opened in 2021 and the
newly opened Life Time Palm Beach Gardens, which opened in August 2022.
Life Time is expanding further in South Florida with Life Time Miami at the
Falls in 2023. The company's healthy way of life communities and ecosystem
address all aspects of healthy living, healthy aging and healthy
entertainment for people 90 days to 90+ years old. Supported by a team of
more than 30,000 dedicated professionals, Life Time is committed to
providing the best programs and experiences through its clubs, iconic
athletic events and comprehensive digital platform.
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