JONESBORO — Olympic Gold Medalist Al Joyner will be the guest speaker Oct. 26 following pre-registration of the 2007 Heart & Sole 5K Walk-Run, benefiting the Cardiology Associates Foundation.
His presentation, “The Mind of a Champion,” is set for 6:30 p.m. at The Forum.
“We are all so pleased to have Al as our speaker. We are glad to bring him back to Jonesboro where he was an Arkansas State University track standout,” said Tracy Grimes, event chairman.
While at ASU, Joyner was a 3-time NCAA All-American indoor champion, a 3-time NCAA All-American outdoor champion, a 4-time Southland Conference champ and placed eighth in the triple jump at the first World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
In 1984, Joyner traveled to Los Angeles for the Summer Games to compete with the U.S. Olympic track and field team. With a leap of 56 feet, 7.5 inches, he became the first American in 80 years to win a gold medal in the triple jump. Joyner was also honored with the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given every four years to the best American competitor in an Olympic field event.
In the fall of 1986, Joyner began training and coaching Florence Griffith to world records in the 100 meters (10.49) and 200 meters (21.34) at the Olympic Games. She became the first American sprinter in the history of sports to receive four Olympic medals in a single Olympic Games (three golds and one silver) in the 100, 200, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay.
Joyner and Griffith were married in 1987, and sadly to the shock of Joyner and the couple’s daughter Mary Ruth, Florence died from a rare epileptic seizure in her sleep at the age of 37 in 1998.
For demonstrating excellence on and off the track, Joyner has been inducted into the Arkansas State University Track and Field Hall of Fame (1993), the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame (1997) and the Illinois Track and Field Hall of Fame (1999). He was hired by SportsToday.com to write columns on track and field for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. During this time, Joyner also coached two athletes with their sights on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team, and he was also training to compete in the men’s triple jump trials. Unfortunately, a knee injury prevented him from participating.
Joyner joined the UCLA track and field staff as an assistant coach-women’s jumps coach in August 2000. During his coaching stint with UCLA his jumpers excelled at both the indoors and outdoors NCAA Championships. In March of 2001 the Lady Bruins won their second consecutive NCAA Indoor Track and Field Title.
Joyner is currently the head jump coach at the San Diego Olympic Training Center for USA Track and Field, where he lives with wife Alisha and children Mary Ruth, Skylar and Jayden.
The Heart & Sole 5K Walk-Run is scheduled for Oct. 27, beginning at Cardiology Associates of NEA, 201 East Oak. Ave.
The event will include a 5K run, a 5K walk that will include approximately 35 corporate walking teams and a 1K run-walk for children and families. Pre-registration for runners and walkers is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at The Forum, and registration the morning of the race is scheduled for 8-9:15 a.m. The 5K run-walk will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the 1K family and children walk-run will begin at 11.
A concert and lunch prepared by Outback Steakhouse for all participants is planned immediately following the event that will feature Spanky and The Axis.
Tickets to attend the Al Joyner’s presentation, “The Mind of a Champion,” are available to the public for $15 and can be purchased before the presentation at The Forum or at Simmons First Bank main office, 1720 Caraway Road.
“We are still registering corporate teams and runners every day,” Grimes said. “This is a great for companies to participate in a fun activity as a group and help encourage employees to start a heart healthy walking or running program.”
“A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease,” said Grimes. “Fortunately, it’s a risk factor that you can do something about. Regular exercise, such as walking and running, has many heart healthy benefits such as lowering your blood pressure, improving circulation, strengthening your heart and helps reduce body fat.”
For more information on registering as runner, corporate walking team or Al Joyner tickets call the Cardiology Associates Foundation at 268-4422.