MARATHON FOTO/ROAD RACE MANAGEMENT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONORS BAA BOSTON MARATHON DIRECTOR DAVE MCGILLIVRAY

Founder and president of DMSE Sports a renowned race director, endurance athlete and inspirational speaker

HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Dave McGillivray received the 2015 MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award for 2015 at the Road Race Management Race Directors' Meeting in Hollywood, Florida on Friday.

One of the highlights of the annual meeting, the award is made for contributions to the sport of long-distance road running over the course of a lifetime. Scores of nominations were received that read like a Who's Who of running. The 10-member committee had the difficult task of reviewing the nominees and reducing the field to three finalists. In addition to McGillivray, the finalists were: Gar Williams, former RRCA and DC Road Runners President who founded the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in Washington, D.C. and reinvigorated the RRCA, and Browning Ross, two-time Olympian and founder of the RRCA.

"Today we honor a significant 'game changer,' a person who really made a difference," said Phil Stewart, editor and publisher of Road Race Management.

"Dave McGillivray is one of a kind. He is a leader, a visionary, charismatic, detail-oriented, an accomplished runner and triathlete and a person who does not acknowledge the word defeat," said Jeff Darman in making the presentation.

McGillivray is the Owner and President of Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises (DMSE). Over the last 25 years, the internationally respected Director of the BAA Boston Marathon has produced or consulted on almost 1,000 mass-participatory athletic events nationally and internationally, raising millions of dollars through personal efforts and events managed by DMSE, Inc.

McGillivray created the DMSE Children's Fitness Foundation, a non-profit aimed at paving a road to a healthier future by funding nonprofit organizations that use running as a vehicle to promote physical fitness in children. In 1978 he ran across the U.S., covering 3,542 miles for the Jimmy Fund, an average of 45 miles a day.

A Road Race Management Race Director of the Year, McGillivray was recently named by Runner's World as one of the 50 most influential people in our sport. He is a motivational speaker and recipient of scores of honors, but he has still found time to complete 139 marathons, including the Boston Marathon for the past 43 consecutive years, with the last 28 being run at night following the completion of his duties as Race Director.

"We honor a tireless worker, a leader who did not wilt under the enormous stress of the 2013 Boston Marathon but rather showed grace and skill under the most trying and emotional of circumstances," added Darman.

The award was presented at the annual Road Race Management Race Directors' Meeting November 6, in Hollywood, Florida.

Road Race Management (www.rrm.com) is a member-based organization that publishes a newsletter and many other publications designed for race and industry professionals, and conducts a prestigious annual national race directors' meeting and trade show in Florida. MarathonFoto (www.marathonfoto.com) is the world's largest race photography company.

McGillivray, who lives in North Andover, Mass., is a pioneer in what is now one of the most important aspects of the endurance sports industry – combining athletics with philanthropy. Nearly every DMSE Sports event combines fitness and fundraising, giving back to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Children’s Hospital, Lazarus House and many others charities and non-profit organizations in New England and across the country. He along with all the events he has directed have helped raised more than $100 million for charity over the years.

DMSE Sports is a leader in sports event management, specializing in creating, marketing and producing mass participatory athletic events throughout the U.S. and abroad. In addition to the B.A.A. Boston Marathon, DMSE manages more than 25 major road races per year, including the TD Beach to Beacon in Maine, the New Balance Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod, the Finish at the 50 at Patriot Place, Run for the Dream in Williamsburg, Va., the Bellin Run in Green Bay, Wis., the Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race and the Across the Bay 10K in Annapolis, Maryland, among others. For more info, visit www.dmsesports.com.