April 30, 2009
Valeriu “Vali” Tomescu, coach of Beijing Olympic marathon gold medalist Constantina Dita, has joined the Fitness Advisory Board of Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation. In his role with Garmin, Tomescu will use Garmin’s line of fitness product in his training programs, and advise the company as it develops related coaching software products for its customers.
Only age 32, Tomescu has already reached the summit of coaching accomplishments in distance running. Over the past seven years, he has also coached Olympic champion Dita to four world championship medals, six appearances on the podiums of the World Marathon Major events, an IAAF World #1 Ranking, and numerous Romanian National Records, including the current marathon mark of 2:21:30.
Tomescu brings the scientific and educational background to his coaching that makes him an ideal partner for Garmin. He has continued his coaching education since graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Training and Sports from Bucharest’s Academy of Sports in his native Romania. A resident of Boulder, Colorado, USA, the past five years, Tomescu has continued his studies in America, having passed USA Track and Field’s (USATF) coaching certification program at both Level I and Level II. In February 2009, he was honored in Romania with the 2008 National Coach of the Year honor, Romania’s highest award for coaches of all sports.
Since Beijing, Tomescu has been in increasing demand for interviews, comments, and coaching advice. Japan’s Gekkan Rikujou and Rikujou Kyougi magazines, Coaching Athletics Quarterly in the USA, and numerous newspapers in Colorado and Romania have done pieces on his coaching ideas. He also is a member of Running Times magazine’s “Ask the Experts” team of on-line coaches.
Comment from Stan Brajer, Garmin’s Director of Fitness Sales and Marketing: “Obviously we are delighted to have Vali join our Advisory Board. We are both leaders in our respective fields. This relationship pairs the premier technology running and fitness products in the world with one of the top Olympic distance running coaches. We look forward to this relationship, as Coach Tomescu will provide us with invaluable feedback on our products, and we will also support him and his athletes with their training.”
Comment from Vali Tomescu: “My training methods are very much based on scientific methods and data, and the opportunity to work with Garmin as they focus on helping more and more endurance athletes with their training is a great chance. All of the Garmin products I have been using have provided me and the athletes with a great amount of valuable data we could never imagine having before. Particularly since participating in their coaches’ roundtable last October during the week of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, I’ve become a huge fan of the technology they are developing.”
Coach Tomescu is represented by Boulder Wave, Inc., a Boulder, Colorado-based sports management and altitude training firm that has helped athletes win nine medals in the women’s marathon in the past ten Olympics and world championships.
For further information or inquiries, please contact Brendan Reilly at Boulder Wave, Inc., +1-303-554-0597 (Office), +1-720-280-2689 (Mobile), E-Mail boulderwave@comcast.net, or visit the website, www.boulderwave.com Photos: 1. Coach Tomescu and Olympic Champ Dita shortly before meeting Romania’s Prime Minister last August. 2. Valeriu Tomescu in Boulder, Colorado, USA (courtesy of Boulder Wave, Inc.)
