RUNNING USA – Runner’s World’s Gambaccini Receives the Stan Saplin Award

NEW YORK – The Armory Foundation and The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory are proud to announce Runner's World journalist Peter Gambaccini as this year's recipient of The Stan Saplin Award for Excellence. The Stan Saplin Award is given annually to a journalist, public relations professional, executive, filmmaker or broadcaster who has made a significant contribution to the promotion of track and field.

"I remember Stan with great fondness and respect, a guy who had a genuine rapport with some of our most esteemed athletes and was incredibly gracious to everybody he worked with," said Gambaccini. "I'm certainly aware of the people who have gotten this award before me, a roster of people I've looked up to."

Gambaccini, a New York City resident, started covering track and field and road racing in 1982. In 1987, Gambaccini began writing for Runner's World, the same outlet for which he covers the sport today.

For many years, Gambaccini has published a daily Newswire Morning Report on RunnersWorld.com that provides visitors with the most up-to-date and important running news. His interviews and race reports are both insightful and entertaining.

Among Gambaccini's most memorable moments at The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory are Alan Webb's record-breaking 3:59.86 high school mile in 2001 and Marla Runyan's 15:07.33 American Record for 5000 meters in 2001.

"Peter Gambaccini has been one of the outstanding reporters for many, many years in our sport of running and track & field," said Dr. Norbert Sander, President of the Armory Foundation. "His unending diligence and commitment to his work make him so deserving of recognition. We are delighted that he has been chosen as the recipient of this year's Stan Saplin Media Award for Excellence."

Gambaccini is the eighth recipient of The Stan Saplin Award for Excellence, named after legendary track and field historian Stan Saplin. Saplin was also a publicist for the New York Rangers, public address announcer at the Millrose Games, and member of the New York Track Writers Association. Fellow reporters of distinction to be recognized with the Stan Saplin Award include Frank Litsky, William J. Miller, Bill Moore, Ed Grant, Walt Murphy, Elliott Denman and Marc Bloom.

"I never think of myself as a sportswriter," admits Gambaccini. "To me, a sportswriter is someone who has to go into a losing NFL coaches locker room and get yelled at. I think I am lucky I'm covering an activity in which most of the major participants are really well educated, well spoken, and very thoughtful and decent people."

Gambaccini was presented with The Stan Saplin Award at The Armory on Monday, at the Eastern States Indoor Championships meet.

Find his work on RunnersWorld.com

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