Nick Symmonds to Speak at Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon – Symmonds holds third fastest time in 800 meters in U.S. history

MILWAUKEE – Nick Symmonds, a member of the 2012 US Olympic Track & Field team and the third fastest American to ever run the 800 meter race will be the featured speaker for the 2012 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon weekend, Friday-Sunday October 5-7.

Symmonds, a member of the Oregon Track Club and native of Boise, Idaho finished fifth in what many have called “The Greatest 800 Meter Race of All Time,” running a personal best of

1:42:95. This was the same race where Kenyan David Rudisha set a new world record by nearly a full second. Symmonds time would have qualified for gold in any previous Olympics except the 2004 games in Atlanta.

During the Lakefront Marathon, Symmonds will host a fun run for anyone interested in meeting and running with an Olympian. The fun run will start at 8 am from the MSOE Kern Center, site of the two-day Lakefront Marathon expo. He will also speak twice during the Saturday expo about his Olympic experiences, and be available to meet with running fans. Symmonds will also be at the start of the race in Grafton on Sunday, October 7 and at Veterans Park at the finish to greet runners.

“As our race committee looked at speakers for 2012, we were drawn to Nick Symmonds story of raising awareness for athletes in sports like track and field and thought his fresh perspective coming off the London games would be a big draw for our runners,” said race director Kristine Hinrichs. “He’s also a leading expert on how athletes can leverage their personal brands through social media, so we’re hoping fans here can engage with him both in person and via channels like Twitter.”

Symmonds is the second Olympian that will be a part of the 2012 Lakefront Marathon Weekend. Earlier this year, Lakefront announced that 1984 gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson will be in Milwaukee for a special evening on Wednesday, October 3, featuring the premier in Wisconsin of a new documentary she released with Nike titled There Is No Finish Line, and a free meet and greet opportunity.

Milwaukee’s Lakefront Marathon continues to be a popular fall marathon destination. In April, officials announced the race had reached its capacity faster than any of the previous 31 years to its new capacity of 3,100 runners.

The 2012 Lakefront Marathon will take runners from Grafton, Wisc., to Milwaukee’s Veteran’s Park on Sunday, October  7. The Lakefront Marathon features a two-day expo on Friday and Saturday prior to the race at the Kern Center in downtown  Milwaukee. Here, runners can join pace teams, find information on nutrition, and purchase exclusive gear for this year’s race. This year’s race also features a number of new elements, including the Paws vs. Claws University Challenge, pitting faculty, staff and students from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee versus those from Concordia University Wisconsin.

Additional information on this year’s race and specific speakers at the 2012 expo can be found at www.milwaukeelakefrontmarathon.org.

For more information on Nick Symmonds, visit www.nicksymmonds.com.

About Milwaukee’s Lakefront Marathon

The 32nd edition Lakefront Marathon, organized by Badgerland Striders running club, is scheduled for Sunday, October 7, 2012 from Grafton to Milwaukee. The 2011 race drew more than 3,000 marathon runners in addition to their family members and friends. The annual race fills hundreds of hotels rooms, restaurants and the streets of Milwaukee's North Shore each year.  According to a 2010 survey by Events Response, total race and runner spending was between $1.2 million-

$2.4 million with the US Department of Commerce multiplier.

For more information on the marathon, visit  www.milwaukeelakefrontmarathon.org.