Atlanta

Georgia Coach:  Tommy Owens, D.D.S. 
Tommy has completed over 80 marathons and was the Director of Operations for the first Annual ING GA Marathon!  You may recognize Tommy Owens as he was the Peachtree Road Race Start Coordinator for 21 years.  He is our coach but also the National Training Coordinator, meaning he coaches all the coaches for TNT around the country. He has been with us since the beginning and devotes a lot of his time to TNT. Please welcome Dr. Tommy Owens.

Walk Coach: Regina Ehrhardt
Regina started with TNT in 2001 as a volunteer. After completing her first event, she served as mentor and coaching assistant over the next two years.  She has completed three marathons and four half marathons with TNT.

Walk Coach: Karen Powell-Newman                                                         Karen first started with Team in Training in 1996 when she completed her first marathon in Cape Cod.  The experience was so pivotal that she continued to work with the team as the head walk coach until 2002.  She is now back on board for fall 2004 season!  Karen is an exercise physiologist specializing in identifying simple and practical behaviors for maintaining lifestyle changes.  She has taught classes and counseled individuals in this field since 1989 and she is certified as a health and fitness instructor through ACSM with a degree in exercise science.

Cycle Coach: Neil Fleming
Neil has completed a USCF Masters Racing Course and is a licensed expert USCF coach for USA Cycling. Neil has been an avid cyclist for more than 40 years and has completed more than 80 centuries, more than a dozen of which were with TNT.

Triathlon Coach: Mark Helton
Mark is a 24-year triathlete with more than 100 races of all distances, including five Ironman finishes. Mark has been with TNT for over nine years and has coached 34 TNT events.

Triathlon Coach: Andy Piazza
Mark has been training and participating in triathlons with Team in Training for over four years.  He particularly likes to work with beginner swimmers to help them improve their skill, much like he did when he first started.  Mark has finished four St. Anthony's triathlons and a Tugaloo triathlon with Team in Training.

Triathlon Coach: Sarah Hackler
Sarah swam in college for the Univeristy of Illinois.  She has completed seven triathlon events with TNT and a number of triathlon and road races on her own, including three Ironman finishes.

Triathlon Coach: Michael King
Michael has a deep connection to the LLS mission as he lost his father to CML 19 years ago and has a sister-in-law who is a blood cancer survivor.  An Ironman, Michael has completed several triathlons of all distances, including two St. Anthony's triathlons with TNT. 

Adventure Race Coach: Sandy Geisel
Sandy began running in 1996 and has completed 21 marathons since that time. She has completed numerous 10K and half marathon road races as well as five 50K ultra marathons and two 50-mile ultra marathons. Sandy is the founder of the Trail Blazers Adventure Racing Club and has been the TNT adventure race coach since its inception.

Athens

Coach: Hugh Woodruff
Hugh has been involved in endurance event training for over 5 years.  He became involved with the Society because he has known many different people with cancer and has lost a good friend to cancer as well.  Hugh has participated in the Atlanta Half 2001, 2002, 2004, Atlanta Full 2003, San Diego 2004, 2005 with TNT.  

Augusta

Triathlon, Run and Walk Coach: Jim Christian
Jim ran his first 10K in 1980 at the tender age of 13 and has since raced in more than 100 road races, triathlons and cycling events. He first participated in TNT in 1995 and returned in 2004 to serve as a mentor following his grandfather's diagnosis with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Jim has been coaching for TNT since 2005. He has completed 10 marathons, three Half Ironman triathlons. He just finished his second Ironman triathlon, in 10:21:04. Jim was also an NCAA All-American swimmer and in 2005 qualified to represent the US at the World Long Course Triathlon Championships in Switzerland.

Northside

Coach: Mark Hall
Mark got involved in TNT when he saw participants at other races and it looked like something he wanted to be involved in. He has been involved in running marathons for 12 years. Mark has participated in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon^TM- San Diego 2006, and mentored both the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon ^TM 2007, and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon^TM- San Diego 2007

Run Coach: Bob Huber
Bob has been involved with TNT since 1993 as a parent of an honored hero and crossed the finish line with his daughter in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon^TM in Virginia Beach in 2003.  He has run seven marathons and three half marathons with TNT in the past five years.  Bob has been a mentor and coaching assistant before becoming a head coach for the Northside team.

Run Coach: Kristin Cleare
Kristin got involved with TNT when she received a postcard in the mail. She was already running but really liked the idea of adding a purpose to something she already enjoyed. Kristin has been a runner for 7 years. The TNT events she has participated in are: Marine Corps 2003, Chicago 2004, San Diego 2005, Disney 2006, Chicago 2006, Country Music Half 2007, and San Diego 2007.

Run Coach: Jim Dessin
Jim became involved with TNT when his sister, Michelle was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.  After 4 1/2 years of fighting this disease, she passed away due to complications from some of the treatments.  Jim wanted to find a way to help other people with this disease and remembered his sister  speaking of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.   He has been a runner since 1999. Jim has participated in a number of TNT events, like: the San Diego Marathon in 2003 and in 2004, the Arizona RNR Marathon in 2004-2006, and the Tugaloo Triathlon in 2006. 

Savannah

Coach:  Kristen Pate
Kristen participated in the San Diego Rock 'N Roll Marathon^TM with Team in Training in 2002.  Since then, she has run the Disney Marathon, the Amsterdam Marathon, several half marathons, and many 5ks and 10ks.  She started running in high school where she was the Cross Country Captain for her team in Massachusetts.  Kristen currently works at a specialty running store and loves inspiring runners and walkers for a living.