View source for Greg Meyer

{{short description|American long-distance runner}}
{{for|the American football official|Greg Meyer (American football official)}}
'''Greg Meyer''' (born September 18, 1955) is an [[Americans|American]] [[long-distance runner]]. Meyer's winning time for the 1983 [[Boston Marathon]] race was 2:09.00. He was the last American to win the Boston Marathon until 2014, and the last person born in America to win the Chicago Marathon until 2017. He set ten [[American records in track and field|American road racing records]] and two [[List of world records in athletics|world record]]s, and won the [[River Bank Run]], in his home town of [[Grand Rapids, MI|Grand Rapids]], seven times. <!--  Commented out: [[Image: Greg Meyer.jpg|thumb|Meyer, finishing the Citizen Golden Marathon in Athens, Greece, March 7, 1982]] -->

==Personal life==

Meyer was born in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] to parents Rita and Jay. He has one older sibling, Matthew Meyer. Meyer is a 1973 graduate of Grand Rapids [[West Catholic High School]]. In 1977 he earned a degree in education and social studies from the [[University of Michigan]].<ref>[http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/04/profile_marathon_man_greg_meye.html Marathon man Greg Meyer keeps going and going]</ref>  In 1986 he earned a [[Master of Education]] degree from [[Boston University]]. He met and married fellow runner Paula Lettis in 1980 [http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/04/profile_marathon_man_greg_meye.html] while living in Boston and together they had three children, Nicolle (1981), Jacob (1983) and Daniel (1986)[http://www.mlive.com/grgallery/galleries/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/mlive/view_gallery.ata?g_id=7287]. Meyer and Lettis divorced in 2005 while living in [[Dexter, Michigan|Dexter]]. Meyer remarried in May 2019. He and his wife Kerry reside near [[Rockford, Michigan|Rockford]].

==Career==

Greg was employed from approximately 2000 through 2008 by the University of Michigan as director of Major Gifts for the Greater Michigan Region,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0506/Jul24_06/17.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209012801/http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0506/Jul24_06/17.shtml |title=	
Spotlight: Former running star returns to promote U-M to alumni|archive-date=2007-02-09}}</ref> where he helped raise over $125 million for the university. From 2008 to 2012 Meyer served as Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Aquinas College.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fundraising Specialist and Marathoner Greg Meyer to Join Aquinas College|url=http://www.aquinas.edu/collegerelations/phpnews/display.php/?action=fullnews&id=319|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528114202/http://www.aquinas.edu/collegerelations/phpnews/display.php?action=fullnews&id=319|archive-date=2010-05-28|access-date=2008-03-07}}</ref> In Fall of 2012, he became the VP & Executive Director of the Aquinas Foundation. After his time at Aquinas, he served as the VP of Development and Communication for the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids from 2015 to 2018. In October 2018, Greg joined [[University of Michigan Health - West]] as their Chief Community Officer.

==Running accomplishments==

Meyer set American road racing records in the 8K, the 10K, and the 15K. He set world records in the 10-mile run and the 25K. He was the first [[University of Michigan]] runner to break the four-minute mile mark. In 1978, Meyer won the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union's [[cross country running]] title, in 29:35.9, narrowly edging out [[Alberto Salazar]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/26/archives/meyer-runs-29359-takes-aau-title-miss-brown-triumphs.html Meyer Runs 29:35.9, Takes A.A.U. Title], ''[[New York Times]]'', November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 1, 2018.</ref> The U.S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, and Meyer finished 7th in the 1984 Trials. Meyer's winning time for the 1983 [[Boston Marathon]] race was 2:09.00. He was the last American to win the Boston Marathon until 2014, and the last person born in America to win the Chicago Marathon until 2017. He set ten [[American records in track and field|American road racing records]] and two [[List of world records in athletics|world record]]s, and won the [[River Bank Run]], in his home town of [[Grand Rapids, MI|Grand Rapids]], seven times. Meyer was inducted into the U of M Athletic Hall of Honor and was inducted into the [https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/greg-meyer/ Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.]

{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing the {{USA}}
|-
|1980
|[[Detroit Marathon]] 
|[[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit, United States]]
|bgcolor="gold"  | 1st
|Marathon
|2:13:07 '''CR'''
|-
|1981
|[[Boston Marathon]] 
|[[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston, United States]]
|11th
|Marathon
|2:13:08
|-
|1982
|[[Chicago Marathon]] 
|[[Chicago]], United States
|bgcolor="gold"  | 1st
|Marathon
|2:10:59
|-
|1983
|[[Boston Marathon]] 
|[[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston, United States]]
|bgcolor="gold"  | 1st
|Marathon
|2:09:00
|-
|1984
|[[1984 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|U.S. Olympic Trials]] 
|[[Buffalo, NY]], United States
|7th
|Marathon
|2:13:29
|}

==See also==
* [[List of winners of the Boston Marathon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.distancerunning.com/inductees/2005/meyer.html National Distance Running Hall of Fame profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629231913/http://www.distancerunning.com/inductees/2005/meyer.html |date=2006-06-29 }}
* [http://blog.mlive.com/grpress_extra/2008/04/profile_greg_meyer.html Greg Meyer Photo]
* [http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/02/greg_meyer_running_man_money_m.html Greg Meyer: Running Man, Money Man]
* [http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/sports/index.ssf/2008/06/greg_meyer_the_last_american_m.html Greg Meyer: helping kick start YMCA Run for Your Heart Program in Saginaw] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905072849/http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/sports/index.ssf/2008/06/greg_meyer_the_last_american_m.html |date=2008-09-05 }}

{{Footer Boston Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Chicago Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer US NC 25K run Men}}
{{Footer US NC Cross Country Men}}
{{National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductees}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Greg}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan]]
[[Category:American male long-distance runners]]
[[Category:American male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Chicago Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:Boston Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:University of Michigan alumni]]
[[Category:People from Dexter, Michigan]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Washtenaw County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Boston University School of Education alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]