Dr. Stuart Weiss Joins Medical Team for ING New York City Marathon
American Red Cross in Greater New York to provide hundreds of trained volunteers and staff
New York, October 23, 2009 -- New York Road Runners announced today that Stuart Weiss, MD, FAAP, FACEP, CBCP, has joined the organization as the medical director of the ING New York City Marathon. Dr. Weiss will lead the diverse team of volunteer multidisciplinary medical professionals from healthcare systems and hospitals in the region in providing immediate, high-quality medical services for the more than 40,000 runners participating in the marathon on Sunday, November 1.
For the first time, the American Red Cross in Greater New York will partner with New York Road Runners to provide more than 250 Red Cross volunteers and staff trained in first aid, who will support the activities of NYRR medical professionals at various sites along the marathon route. Additionally, a team of 25 Red Cross staff and volunteers, all of whom are certified medical professionals and who will be led by the Red Cross's Director of Disaster Health Services, will work with the NYRR medical team inside the medical tents and in the post-finish-line area on race day.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our runners, and we strive to provide world-class medical services for a world-class event," said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. "We welcome Dr. Weiss to the team and are already benefitting from his helpful and relevant experience in emergency medical management."
Dr. Weiss has extensive experience in disaster preparedness and emergency medical management. He is the Chairman of the Disaster Medicine Section of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Weiss is currently the CEO of the MedPrep Consulting Group.
Dr. Lewis Maharam resigned as the medical director in September.
New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRR's home base in New York, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the world's top professional runners. Our youth programs provide running to nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in New York City, around the country, and in South Africa who would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities. For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.
The ING New York City Marathon
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing nearly 105,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and a worldwide broadcast reach of 330 million. As any one of the nearly 788,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.
World Marathon Majors
The ING New York City Marathon is one of five events in the World Marathon Majors series that showcases the sport's top athletes and awards an unprecedented $1 million champions' prize. The WMM series also includes the Boston Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, the real,- Berlin Marathon, and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. For more information, visit www.worldmarathonmajors.com.
