Episode 32: Rich Kenah on the Publix Atlanta Marathon & US Olympic Trials Weekend 2020
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| Rich Kenah on the track |
In this episode, he describes how running has had an immeasurable impact on his life, a job he gets to talk about running all day long. He also describes what it's like to qualify for the Olympics and what it's like to be a competitive runner: disappointment and injury, ups and downs, finishing his career on a very high note. For example, in 1996 when Atlanta hosted the Olympics, he missed making the U.S. Olympic Team by tenths of a second. And those years proved to be his most productive as a professional runner, just after this loss: winning two World Championship medals, setting a world record & coming back to finally win his Olympic berth for Sydney. He describes what it was like to be a part of the Olympic Athlete Village and walking into the Olympic Stadium wearing a USA uniform. This success, he believes, helps athletes transfer to other areas of life. Rich was also a sports marketing professional for many years after his running career, and had many challenges in these roles as well.
It is important to note that his work and the organization in Atlanta are not just about running, but fitness in general and getting moving, in fact run/walkers and e fitness walkers are a big part of the ATC. Rich touches on the depth of programming they offer in the interview, and desire to help young runners especially; from elementary to high school runners finding their footing. They offer everything from first-time running programs to training Olympic hopefuls.
Rich's love for the mission of ATC and fitness at the community level is incredible, as is the task of organizing thousands of volunteers around a world class event like the US Olympic Trials and Publix Atlanta Marthon, we wish him luck and look forward to an amazing weekend! Join them online to find out all the details on the 2020 Trials, planning for upcoming events & more:
