Paul Chelimo, American Olympian and U.S. Army veteran, tapped to be the Air Force Marathon featured speaker

February 28, 2020

Chelimo will speak at the Breakfast of Champions and Gourmet Pasta Dinner on Sept. 18

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – American Olympian and US. Army veteran Paul Chelimo is scheduled to be the guest speaker for the 24th Air Force Marathon.

Chelimo was the 2016 Olympic silver medalist at 5000 meters in Rio and the 2017 World Championship bronze medalist at 5000 meters. He is training for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in August, with the 5K Olympic Trials coming up June 19-28 in Eugene, Oregon.

“We are honored and humbled to have not simply one of the world’s best runners join us at the 24th Air Force Marathon, but for him to be a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces means so much to our entire team, our volunteers, our participants and this entire community,” said Brandon Hough, Air Force Marathon director.

Born in Iten, Kenya, Chelimo moved to the United States on a running scholarship in 2010. After graduating from the University of North Carolina majoring in public health, he joined the Army’s World Class Athlete Program.

“I want to talk about the grit and the grind that comes from running and training,” Chelimo said. “I want to motivate the beginners and those who are regular runners and impart how to run a really fast 5K. I want those who listen to my story to learn what it takes to be a successful runner and how to prevent injuries.”

Chelimo will speak at the Breakfast of Champions and the Gourmet Pasta dinner on Sept. 18.

The Air Force Marathon, presented by Northrop Grumman, USAA and Boeing, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. The Health & Fitness Expo is held at Wright State University’s Nutter Center and is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, and Friday, Sept. 18. The event will also feature a Breakfast of Champions and Gourmet Pasta Dinner scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18. The featured aircraft for 2020 will be the HH-60G Pave Hawk. Get more information about the race at www.usafmarathon.com