Northern Arizona Elite's Llano to Run Debut at BoA Chicago Marathon

With the Bank of America Chicago Marathon just a little more than three months away, Northern Arizona Elite has announced that Matt Llano will be making his marathon debut in the windy city on October 12.

Llano has been one of the top American road racers over the past year and his 1:01:47 half marathon personal best is currently the 19th fastest ever U.S. performance over 13.1 miles. That mark also earned him a spot on Team USA at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships where he finished 35th in 1:02:24.

Llano said he is thrilled to be making his debut at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

“If you look at results from Chicago over the years, there is a rich history of strong debut marathons, which is a testament to the favorable weather conditions, immense crowd support, and the fast nature of the course,” Llano said. “My goal is not only to add myself to the storied tradition of Chicago greatness, but if I'm feeling exceptionally good, I wouldn't put Ryan Hall's American Marathon Debut record of 2:08:24 out of my reach."

Northern Arizona Elite head coach Ben Rosario said the team will be giving fans an unprecedented look into Llano’s training for Chicago.

“We’re unbelievably excited for Matt to tackle the marathon since he’s so well-suited for it,” Rosario said. “What we want to do between now and the race is let U.S. distance running fans in on his journey so they can feel a part of things come October 12.”

Northern Arizona Elite will be producing a series of documentary-style videos about Matt’s preparations for Chicago called An Open Look. The series will highlight not only major training sessions, but also give viewers a look into the everyday life of a professional distance runner. Llano’s story has received a lot of attention since he came out as an openly gay athlete in December. He was featured in this month’s Running Times magazine and has received a tremendous amount of support from the running community.

Northern Arizona Elite is a professional sports organization whose mission is to recruit, develop and produce distance runners to compete at the very highest level of international athletics and operate as a successful business by building a global fan base for the team and its athletes through comprehensive and ongoing marketing efforts on a local, national and international level.

To learn more visit www.nazelite.com.