Gayle Barron

Gayle Barron’s name is synonymous with peak performance and thus an appropriate inaugural guest for the Peak Performance show. Every week, this show hosted by Dave Carpenter will feature interviews with peak performers from all walks of life, as well as with leading coaches and scholars on elements that contribute to personal peak performance.

Gayle is truly one of the pioneers of American running. She was the winner of the first Peachtree 10K (Atlanta) in 1970 and went on to win five of the first six, earning her the endearing title of "The First Lady of Peachtree." The Peachtree 10K is the world’s largest 10K and Gayle is the only five time winner, male or female. She has also won three Atlanta Peach Bowl Marathons, and in 1978 had one of the thrills of her life with her win in the Boston Marathon.

Runner's World Magazine recognized Gayle as the "First Lady" in running. She has been honored by the United States Jaycees as one of America's Top Ten Healthy American Fitness Leaders. She shares this leadership award with such luminaries as former President Ronald Reagan, Apollo Astronaut James Lovell, and Strongman Jack LaLanne. She was voted one of the 100 greatest Georgia Athletes of the 20th Century and is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame.

An expert resource on running and fitness, Gayle has been featured in Self, Runner's World Magazine, Ms Magazine, Glamour, Vie Magazine, Sport and Fitness Magazine and USA Today among other periodicals. She is also the author of the Beauty of Running (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). She currently works with Waffle House in their efforts to promote healthy eating.

Not only has Gayle appeared on leading national TV shows, such as ABC’s Good Morning America, she has been on countless local TV’s shows and even served as a feature reporter for the former CBS affiliate in Atlanta. She has a Journalism degree from the University of Georgia.

All of Gayle’s many running and fitness accolades are overshadowed by her contributions back to her community since she stopped running competitively. She is one of the pioneers in developing what has become a national concept of “training as a team” that help runners to train together while also raising money for charity. Over the last fifteen years, Gayle has directly helped thousands of runners experience the thrill of completing their first marathon, half marathon or 10K. Equally important, her teams have raised millions of dollars for leading charities. Her teams have directly been responsible for building four Habitat for Humanity homes and funding leading cancer initiatives in the Atlanta area.

Amazingly, Gayle has also found time over the years to serve in leadership roles on a wide variety of philanthropic causes. She has served on the Boards of Directors for the Georgia Physical Fitness Council, the National Fitness Leaders of America, the Special Olympics, the American Foundation for the Blind and the Running and Fitness Association.

As a result of her many years of service to the Atlanta community, Gayle was recently chosen by Atlanta Magazine as one of the 45 "Greatest Atlantans" of the past 45 years. This is well deserved recognition to the consistency of her personal peak performance over so many years.

Listen to Gayle Barron’s interview from
Dave Carpenter’s Peak Performance show.

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