Elite Racing Names Turnbull New Elite Athlete Coordinator
Posted Wednesday, 12 December, 2007
SAN DIEGO, Calif., (December 11, 2007) – Elite Racing, Inc., announces Matthew Turnbull has been hired as the company’s new elite athlete coordinator. Turnbull replaces Mike Long who died in July. Long served as Elite Racing’s athlete coordinator for 16 years.
Turnbull, 30, from Stocksfield, Northumberland in England, is now responsible for recruiting and managing the professional and elite amateur athlete fields for Elite Racing’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and the Carlsbad 5000. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series includes seven major marathons and half marathons throughout the U.S. The Carlsbad 5000 is home to 16 world records and is known as the “world’s fastest 5K.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity,” said Turnbull. “I hope to build on the strong foundation Mike created and help Elite produce more outstanding performances as the company grows.”
Turnbull will relocate to San Diego in the next few months. He will assume a limited role at the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon on Sunday, January 13, 2008, and then take full control of all athlete responsibilities moving forward.
“From our perspective, we're just thrilled to have the individual acknowledged in our world as the No. 1 person in his field,” said Tracy Sundlun, Executive Vice President for Elite Racing.
Since February 2000, Turnbull worked for Nova International. He began his career with the company in the marketing and sponsorship department where he worked to develop new partnerships and grow the company’s presence in Ireland. He took over as Nova’s Elite Athlete Director in January 2004 to recruit professional athletes for 14 races. There he worked with world record holders and Olympic medalists Paul Tergat (KEN), Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) and Catherine Ndereba (KEN) among others.
Some of Turnbull’s career highlights include work with Paula Radcliffe (GBR), Meseret Defar (ETH), Craig Mottram (AUS) and Zersenay Tadesse (ERT) at the Great Run Series. Radcliffe made her return to competitive running, placing second at the 2007 BUPA Great North Run following her pregnancy. Defar and Mottram both set world bests at 3,000m at the Great North 3K. Tadesse used the Great Run Series to establish himself on the world stage, setting a world best time at the Great North Run before winning both the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country and World Road Running Championships.
About Elite Racing’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series
Elite Racing’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is America’s first and largest road racing tour for runners and walkers. Established in 1998 with the original Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., the series has grown to seven musically themed marathons and half marathons. Events feature live bands on entertainment stages and cheerleaders at every mile along the course, attracting more than 140,000 participants annually. Currently, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series host cities include San Diego, Calif., Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, Ariz., Nashville, Tenn., San Antonio, Tex., Virginia Beach, Va., San Jose, Calif., and Philadelphia.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series 2008 Schedule
P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon: Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, January 13, 2008
Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon: Nashville, Tenn., April 26, 2008
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon: San Diego, Calif., June 1, 2008
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon: Virginia Beach, Va., August 31, 2008
Philadelphia Distance Run: Philadelphia, September 21, 2008
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon: San Jose, Calif., October 5, 2008
Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon: San Antonio, Tex., November 16, 2008
Carlsbad 5000, April 6, 2008
Known as the “world’s fastest 5K,” the Carlsbad 5000 is home to 16 world best times at the 3.1-mile distance and welcomes over 10,000 runners and walkers to the streets of Carlsbad, Calif. annually.
For more information about Elite Racing’s events visit www.eliteracing.com.
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