Speakers

We are delighted to have two of the big names in marathoning with us on race weekend: Kathrine Switzer and Jean Driscoll. Visit Kathrine and Jean at the Marathon & Beyond booth at the Expo, listen to their talk at our Speaker Series (time TBD) and at the Pasta Dinner.

Kathrine Switzer

Kathrine Switzer gained world-wide notoriety as the woman who challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon by being the first woman to officially run the race in 1967. The “Boston Incident” changed Switzer’s life and, consequently, the lives of millions of women (and men!) everywhere, because it inspired her to create opportunities that challenged myth and misconception about women’s physical limitation. Switzer went on to dedicate her multi-faceted career to creating opportunities and sports equality for women; in particular, she developed programs in 27 countries for over one million women, and these led to the inclusion of the women’s marathon as an official event in the Olympic Games. She also became a world-class athlete, running 35 marathons, won the 1974 New York City Marathon, and ran her personal best of 2:51.33 by finishing second in the 1975 Boston Marathon.

Switzer proudly states, “I can’t wait to come to the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon! It is the Land of My Ancestors! I grew up climbing the rope in the barn and picking beans and getting lost in the endless cornfields of Illinois and I so look forward to coming back. My parents both graduated from the U of I and were the first people in my family to get a university education, so being in Champaign-Urbana is really special to me. I feel like I’m coming home. We’re gonna rock ’em, and I am so happy to meet all of you and cheer you on to a PR!”

Today Switzer is an Emmy Award-winning TV commentator of marathons, journalist, and frequent speaker at major marathon events in the U.S. and abroad. Her latest book is the critically acclaimed Marathon Woman.

Jean Driscoll

Jean Driscoll—world-class athlete, Olympian, author, motivational speaker, and worldwide advocate for persons with disabilities—joins Kathrine Switzer as our special guest for the 2010 Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon weekend.

Jean was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with spina bifida (an open spine). Although there were challenges during childhood, her determination to get the most out of life was always there. Jean began using a wheelchair at the age of 15, and after learning about wheelchair sports from a high school friend, she started pursuing athletic opportunities with fervor.

After she was recruited to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, world-renowned coaches developed her into one of the world’s most successful competitors. During her career, Jean won the Boston Marathon eight times. She set 5 course records as well as 5 world best times and has held Boston’s fastest time in the women’s wheelchair division since 1990: 1 hour, 34 minutes and 22 seconds.

Driscoll says, “I feel very honored to be featured at this year’s Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon alongside Kathrine Switzer. It makes me proud that the Champaign-Urbana community is hosting a world-class event of this nature, and I hope everyone feels welcome to be part of the excitement, whether as a participant, volunteer, or fan. Enjoy your training, whatever the distance, and I look forward to meeting you on the starting line.”

In addition to her success in Boston, Jean also won two Olympic medals, 12 Paralympic medals, and still holds the world record in the 10,000 meter (6.2 mile) track event that was set during the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Jean retired from her successful racing career following the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Jean is very active as a global advocate and hands on coach with Wheels for the World, a program of the nonprofit organization, Joni and Friends, that restores wheelchairs and takes them to individuals in third world countries. Jean travels annually to Ghana, West Africa to teach potential athletes and coaches about the sport of wheelchair track.

Jean earned a B.A. in Speech Communication with honors from the University of Illinois in 1991 and an M.S. in Rehabilitation Administration in 1993 from the same institution. In addition to motivational speaking, Jean works as the Associate Director of Development for the College of Applied Health Sciences at the U of I.