Anthony Reed honored with President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Hero Award

PRESS RELEASE
Published September 10, 2024
Award winning documentary filmmaker, world history making marathoner, and former Fortune 500 executive receives special recognition for his lifetime of work in the distance running community.

Sep. 10, 2024 / PRZen / DALLAS -- The President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition has selected Anthony (Tony) Reed, CPA, PMP to receive a 2024 President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Hero Award. This inaugural award, to be presented annually, honors notable individuals who champion sports, physical activity, fitness, or nutrition and amplify messages that support the Council's mission.

Tony is a native of St. Louis, MO and current Dallas, TX resident. He spearheaded the ethnic minority running boom in 2004 as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Black Marathoners Association. He inspired African Americans to pursue international running goals when he became the first Black in the world to run 26.2-mile marathons on all seven continents (2007). He went on to complete over 130 marathons, including fifty marathons in one state (TX, 2004) and a marathon in each of the fifty states (2013). He was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame (2022) and the National Black Distance Hall of Fame (2017).

As a writer and director, his two documentaries, Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners and We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes, are motivating and inspiring people worldwide, while winning thirty awards at US, Canadian, Swedish, and Indian film festivals. This former Fortune 500 technology executive is an international speaker on transformative leadership, project management, and soft skills. As the CEO of Caribbean Endurance Sports Corporation, he organized the Five Island Challenge – Marathon, Half Marathon, and Combothon.

"It is my pleasure to recognize Tony for his innovative efforts to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability," says Rayhaan Merani, Executive Director of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. "Tony's sphere of influence has helped expand the President's Council's mission across multiple communities and improved their health and well-being. Tony has addressed a gap in these communities and created more opportunities for citizens to lead a healthy, active lifestyle."

"Tony's work has grown diversity in the sport of long-distance road running. He has been a leader in efforts to properly preserve running history. He's an ambassador for the sport. His vision with the National Black Marathoners Association has inspired me to do a series of groundbreaking research projects on Black running history," says Gary Corbitt, Archivists of the Theodore Corbitt Institute for Running History Research.

This year, the President's Council presented the new PCSFN Hero Award to eight recipients across the country. These individuals have all served as influencers to make an impact in an area of the Council's mission, successfully working to improve lives through sports, physical activity, fitness, and nutrition-related programs. A full listing of the 2024 PCSFN Hero Awardees is available on health.gov/pcsfn.

About the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition: The President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) is a Federal advisory committee supported by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The mission of the President's Council is to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability. For more information about PCSFN, visit health.gov/pcsfn and follow us on social media @FitnessGov.

About National Black Marathoners' Association: The National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) is the USA's largest, not-for-profit organization of men and women that is dedicated to encouraging Black Americans and others to pursue a healthy lifestyle through running and walking. It is open to everyone, regardless of their athletic ability or previous marathon experience. Over 60% of our members have never run a marathon. Visit www.BlackMarathoners.org for more information.

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Source: National Black Marathoners Association

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