runDallas and the Dallas White Rock Marathon President Paul Lambert Departing the Organization

September 6, 2023

BMW Dallas Half Marathon celebrates 20 years running; BMW Dallas Marathon Festival offers 12 running & walking events for all ages

DALLAS, Sept. 6, 2023 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Board of Directors of the Dallas White Rock Marathon (DWRM), the parent organization of runDallas and the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival, announced Paul Lambert, president of DWRM, is departing the organization to pursue other interests. During this transition, Charles Peyton, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DWRM, will lead the organization with the support of Marcus Grunewald, Executive Director, and Jason Schuchard, Senior Marketing Director.

“I appreciate my seven years spent with the team, and I’m very proud of our accomplishments over the past seven years,” said Lambert. Lambert is returning to Florida to be near his family and pursue other interests.

Lambert joined the Dallas White Rock Marathon organization in 2016, bringing 18 years’ experience in the running industry from ESPN/Disney’s Wide World of Sports to help the marathon grow and expand. During his tenure, he played a critical role in developing the organization, rebranding the year-round events as runDallas events and evolving the organization’s premier events each December into the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival, a fun-filled weekend for runners and their friends and family.

“We thank Paul for his service to the DWRM, and we are looking forward to this year’s race weekend and already looking ahead to 2024 and beyond,” said Charles Peyton, DWRM Board Chairman.

The DWRM’s staff have been planning this year’s events since last December. Grunewald has been with DWRM for over 20 years, leading all facets of event operations and been an integral part of the community outreach to build the Marathon’s presence. Schuchard joined the organization in 2015 overseeing marketing, sponsorships and operations. Prior to joining the DWRM, Schuchard was part of the Dallas Mavericks’ sponsorship activation team and the Dallas Cowboys’ sales and promotions. The Board is actively looking to add talent to the tenured Marathon staff.

“Under Marcus’s and Jason’s leadership, we look forward to continuing to promote health and physical fitness in North Texas communities through running events and related activities,” said Peyton. “Thanks to our partners and sponsors within the DFW community, this year we are bringing the most exciting participant and spectator event yet.”

A weekend of family, fitness and community

The BMW Dallas Marathon Festival features 12 running and walking events fit for all ages, starting Friday, Dec. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 10. The race is celebrating 20 years of its half marathon event, when the Marathon events expanded as the sport grew. Also new this year: all kids 14 and under can participate free of charge in the individual events and the walking events will have separate start corrals from those running.

“Our focus is to promote health and physical fitness, and this year we expand even more on that as we open up our events to people of all ages, of all abilities, from every city, state and country,” said Peyton. “Last year, we had 22,000 participants cross our finish line during the weekend festival and we are looking forward to hosting even more this December. We thank the City of Dallas, our sponsors who help make this possible and our participants who help us support Scottish Rite for Children as the Marathon’s beneficiary.”

For more information about the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival, please visit www.rundallas.com.

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About runDallas: runDallas promotes health and physical fitness through running events and related activities. It oversees several iconic events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including the marquee event, the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival, as well as the Oncor Kid’s Race and the BMW Fall Fun Runs. runDallas raises funds and provides a marketing platform for several major non-profit organizations in the North Texas area, including Scottish Rite for Children, Dallas Independent School District, and several other local and national charities. runDallas serves as an agent to bring those of all ages and fitness levels together in the spirit of health and physical fitness. For more information, please visit www.rundallas.com.

About DWRM: The Dallas White Rock Marathon is a nonprofit organization with a focus on promoting health and physical fitness through running events and related activities. The organization is comprised of 15 volunteer board members and a full-time staff with various backgrounds and running experiences that help carry out the mission of the DWRM as well as support the growth and impact of the runDallas portfolio of events in the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Dating back to 1971, the organization hosts year-round events culminating with Dallas’ largest and Texas’ longest running marathon: the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival. Now in its 52nd running, the marquee event, with 12 running and walking events for all ages, attracts runners from across the globe and hundreds of thousands of spectators to Dallas’ largest single-day sporting event. The BMW Dallas Marathon Festival course highlights iconic Dallas landmarks and is recognized as the official marathon of the City of Dallas. Since naming a primary beneficiary in 1997, DWRM has donated more than $4 million to Scottish Rite for Children. For more information, visit www.rundallas.com.