The Peachtree City Running Club guest speaker program continues to set the pace into the new millennium when Donna Garcia will address the group at the February meeting.

Garcia has been a consistent performer at the elite level for 15 years. She won 18 high school state championships in Florida and Kentucky, and earned a full athletic scholarship to the University of Kentucky. At UK, Garcia ran both track and cross country, achieving All-American honors, and was a member of UK's national championship cross country team in 1988.

Since 1993, Garcia has worked in management for Pepperidge Farms, while pursuing her racing career. She is sponsored by the Georgia Foundation for Athletic Excellence, PowerBar and Reebok.

Last year was a very good one for Garcia. She placed fifth at the USA Track and Field Cross Country 8K Nationals/World Team Trials, earning a place on the U.S. team, which placed eighth at the World Cross Country Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Returning to the track for the first time since college, Garcia established personal bests in the 3,000 and 5,000. Additionally, she ran a new 10K road personal best of 32:39. She placed fourth at the USATF Indoor 3K Nationals.

Garcia also appeared on the cover of the November `99 issue of the Running Journal for her third consecutive win at both the 5K and 10K at the 21st annual Midnight Flight races in Anderson, S.C.

She also has been selected by Atlanta Sports and Fitness Magazine as the athlete of the year. Most recently, Garcia represented the U.S. in the Ekiden Relay Marathon in Chiba, Japan in November, finishing fifth. She has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 5,000 and will attempt to make the 10,000 standard as well.

Garcia will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Peachtree City Running Club Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wyndham Peachtree Executive Conference Center.

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