J. Gerry Purdy, PhD, Founder and Chairman

Growing up in Atlanta, young Gerry ran cross-country and track, and set the Georgia state high school javelin record in 1961. As a doctoral student at Stanford, Dr. Purdy and his running buddy James B. Gardner began chatting about the relationship between running and physiological effort, and decided to do what scientists do best: study it. He eventually melded his love of running with his love of science in pursuit of the perfect training program, culminating in the creation of RunningTrax.

RunningTrax.com is the result of Dr. Purdy’s 50 years in the fields of Computer Science and Exercise Physiology as a fitness advocate. Gerry believes in the power of science-based training to improve your quality of life.

Tom Marshall, President & CEO

A confirmed middle-of-the-packer, Tom has run five marathons, including the ING New York City Marathon and the Dublin Marathon, which he calls his most memorable running experience thanks to the spirit and friendliness of the Irish people.

Tom is a multimedia executive with over 30 years of experience. He got his start in media at The States-Item newspaper in New Orleans and made his mark during a 20-year tenure at Time Inc., where he served as Publisher of Sunset Magazine and its website.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jeff Galloway, Chief Running Advocate

Jeff began running in eighth grade to fulfill a school requirement, and went on to win the Georgia state high school 2-Mile Championship. He competed for Wesleyan University, where Amby Burfoot and Bill Rodgers were his teammates, and Jeff represented the U.S. in the 1972 Olympic Games in the 10,000 meters. In 1974, he opened the Phidippides Running Store, which he still owns today. He’s run over 120 marathons, and is veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Jeff’s quest for the injury-free marathon training program led him to develop the RUN-WALK-RUN™ method. He has coached over 250,000 runners and appears at over 200 events each year. He also writes a monthly column for Runner’s World magazine. Jeff continues to offer Galloway Marathon Training Groups with 100,000 members in more than 90 cities and fitness vacations through Galloway Productions.

Greg McMillan, Vice President and Head Coach

Raised in Tennessee, Greg is a renowned exercise scientist who loves combining the discipline of endurance performance with the art of real-world coaching. Based in Flagstaff, Arizona, Greg is a USATF-Certified Coach with over 20 years of experience helping beginners to Olympians, middle-distance runners to marathoners, and high schoolers to masters. His athletes have competed in the 2008 Olympics, 1996-2008 Olympic Trials and 2001-2009 IAAF World Championships in Track and Field. He has worked under famed coaches such as Gabriele Rosa, and was mentored by the great Arthur Lydiard.

Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology. He helped develop the RunningTrax training programs, and is a Senior Writer for Running Times magazine.

Randy Martin, M.D., Medical Advisor

Growing up in Miami, Randy started running at the age of 15 to lose weight, heading out at night so that no one would see him. One of his funniest memories is when a police officer—confused to see the uncommon sight of a boy running—asked him if someone was chasing him. He’s been running ever since.

Dr. Martin is a world-renowned cardiologist and medical correspondent with over 40 years of experience as a physician. He’s held faculty and clinical staff positions at Stanford University, University of Virginia, the Mayo Clinic and Medical School, and Emory University.

As if that’s not enough, Dr. Martin is active in professional and consumer education. For 15 years he was the medical correspondent for the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, and currently serves as the medical correspondent for HealthWatchMD.com. He has earned three Emmy nominations.

Peter Abraham, Vice President of Marketing

Not to date himself, but Peter got started running in a pair of original Nike Waffle Trainers in 1973. He now enjoys a couple marathons a year, and uses running as a low-speed sightseeing device whenever he travels.

A specialist in brand strategy and media, Peter was most recently Creative Director at the Los Angeles Marathon and part of a team that rebuilt the event from scratch. When he needed an experimentation lab for his marketing ideas, Peter launched the Santa Monica Classic in 2006, now one of the largest races in Southern California. He’s also created memorable marketing campaigns for Red Bull, Nike and other clients.

Before that, Peter produced thousands of TV commercials for Fortune 500 clients. Along with Director Sam Jones, Peter produced the acclaimed Wilco documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.

Gerry Glynn, Board Member & Special Advisor

Hailing from Canada where he used running as a mode of transportation, Gerry ran his first half-marathon at the age of 39. He has now run 10 marathons with a personal best time of 2:44, and he does a weekly Sunday long run with his wife, who bikes alongside him.

Gerry is a sales strategist and technology evangelist. He has 25 years of experience in the information technology industry as a sales and business development executive. He was Managing Director of eFunds Canada, where he led sales and marketing efforts, as well as financial reporting and site administration. He then became Vice President of Sales for FIS Global Solutions’ business unit. He has worked for Oasis Technology, Commerce One, Sybase and Software AG Canada. Gerry holds a Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Karla Bruning, Editor

When not pounding the pavement as a reporter, Karla pounds the pavement as a runner. A proud mid-packer and “PR” junkie, she began running after undergoing a life-changing surgery to remove a bone tumor from her leg. She trains with the New York Harriers and has run four marathons including New York City and Chicago, her hometown.

Karla cut her journalistic teeth as a Reporter and Researcher for Newsweek’s International Edition. She then became Sports Editor for The Washington Times Communities, and covered the 2010 Winter Olympics. She writes the blog, Run, Karla, Run, and loves sharing her adventures on the road. Karla has a B.A. from Amherst College and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

She also moonlights as lead singer of ’80s cover band The Fades. She merges her interests by singing the national anthem at road races like the 2009-2011 Fifth Avenue Mile and the 2010 ING New York City Marathon, among others.