Uta Pippig, founder and president of Take The Magic Step, LLC, and co-founder of the Take The Magic Step Foundation™, returns to Green Bay this weekend to participate in the 2008 Bellin Run. Now in its 32nd year, the event is the nation’s sixth-largest 10K (6.2 mile) race and is expected to draw a record 12,000+ participants.

Uta, a two-time Olympian and three-time Boston Marathon champion, has been an ardent supporter of the fundraiser since 1995. This weekend she will be joining other volunteers and sponsors, such as KI, a Green Bay manufacturer of contract furniture and wall systems, to raise awareness of the event, which benefits Bellin Hospital’s School of Nursing and other charitable efforts.

Of the many events Uta participates in each year, she feels a special connection to this one: “The Bellin Run is an excellent example of how an organization can rally the community to participate in finding solutions to public health problems. I can only hope I will be able to inspire some of the runners as much as Bellin’s exceptional model of community organization has inspired me in the development of Take The Magic Step.”

Take The Magic Step’s nutritional advisor, Dieter Hogen, and foundation co-founder, Michael Reger, will join Uta this year in walking and running alongside participants during the event on June 14. Uta also will offer encouragement and autographs prior to the race at events such as the Bellin Run Health Expo, Run a Better Bellin class, and Johnson Bank Kids Run & Fun to help strengthen Bellin’s efforts to improve public health through community efforts—
a goal shared by both Take The Magic Step and Bellin Hospital.

In addition to her leadership roles at Take The Magic Step, LLC, and the Take The Magic Step Foundation, Uta is also on the Board of Advisors of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AgeLab, whose stated goal is to “develop new ideas to improve the quality of life for older adults and those who care for them.”

Please visit www.bellinrun.com for more information about the Bellin Run.

For other information about Uta Pippig, please contact:
Terri Jackson
561-544-4618
uta@TakeTheMagicStep.com