FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rick Nealis Named 2010 MarathonFoto/Road Race Management
Race Director of the Year
An award committee made up of race directors, athletes, media, corporate
executives and club officials charged with selecting the 2010
MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year has named Rick
Nealis, Director of the Marine Corps Marathon (Washington, DC) as the
MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year.
Nealis was honored at a reception at the Road Race Management Race
Directors' Meeting in Coral Gables, FL on November 11. The award is
presented by Electric City Printing.
"We had our usual impressive field of well-qualified candidates, but Rick
emerged as a consensus winner," said Road Race Management President Phil
Stewart. Described by Bill Rodgers as "the Gold Medal of race directing,"
the award is one of the most prestigious honors in the sport of road
racing.
"In 18 years as race director of the Marine Corps Marathon, Rick Nealis has
done it all – from coordinating eight separate law enforcement agencies
through whose jurisdictions the event passes, to keeping the paparazzi away
from Oprah Winfrey for over four and a half hours. His boyish exuberance
for the event belies his abilities as a master tactician who makes the
Marine Corps proud of the race that serves as the organization's single
largest public relations event," said Phil Stewart in presenting the award.
The MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year award
(presented by Electric City Printing) is made annually to recognize and
promote excellence in race directing. Nominees were judged on several
factors, including overall ability, reputation of race, creativity and
organizational ability. Previous recipients have included: Rafael Acosta
(World's Best 10K), Steve Bosley (Bolder Boulder), John Conley (LIVESTRONG
Austin Marathon), Julia Emmons (AJC Peachtree Road Race), Ed Froehlich
(Quad-City Times Bix 7), Chuck Galford (Cascade Run Off), Susan Harmeling
(Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic), Jon Hughes (Disney Marathon), Bob
Ingalls (Utica Boilermaker), Scott Keenan (Grandma's Marathon), Fred Lebow
(ING New York City Marathon), Philip Lockwood (Steamboat Classic), Jim
Marino (Blue Cross Broad Street Run), Dave McGillivray (Boston Marathon),
Jeanette Parke (Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic), Carey Pinkowski (Bank
of America Chicago Marathon), Earle Reed (Utica Boilermaker), Bill Reef
(Bolder Boulder), George Regan (Freihofer's Run for Women), Tracey Russell
(Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K), Kathleen Sherman (New Balance Falmouth Road
Race) Steve Shostrom (Steamboat Classic), Allan Steinfeld (ING New York
City Marathon) and Harold and Louise Tinsley (Rocket City Marathon).
Road Race Management (www.rrm.com) is a member-based organization that
publishes a newsletter and many other publications designed for race and
industry professionals, and conducts a prestigious annual national race
directors' meeting and trade show in Florida. MarathonFoto
(www.marathonfoto.com) is the world's largest race photography company.
Electric City Printing (www.ecprint.com), a Consolidated Graphics company,
is an FSC certified printer. Event managers from around the world depend
on Electric City for high quality, quick turnaround, race numbers and
commercial/digital printing.
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