Leaders of the Pack

Tulsa World by: CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer, 3/11/2010

The Tulsa Run 2010 announced its celebrity runners this week: Janet Levit, dean of the University of Tulsa College of Law, and Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Both will train under the guidance of exercise physiologist Gini McFarland at Hillcrest Exercise & Lifestyle Program for the 15k race that starts and finishes in downtown Tulsa on Oct. 30.

The race will benefit Tulsa Youth Services. Presenting sponsors for this year's race are Bank of Oklahoma, Tulsa World, Oneok and QuikTrip.

Neither Levit nor Smith is a complete running novice, but this will be the first time for either to run the newer Tulsa Run course, which was changed in 2008 to finish in front of the BOK Center.

Levit, 41, was appointed dean of the TU College of Law in 2008. She received her law degree from Yale University.

She said she's excited to serve as a celebrity runner for the 2010 race because she's a "goal-driven person" and wants to inspire TU students to participate in this year's race. She plans to fit in regular training sessions at Hillcrest in spite of her busy schedule.

"To have a goal and a recipe of how to get there will keep me on target," she said. "I've really missed running, because it's really the most efficient, effective workout."

Also motivating her? Her father, an experienced marathon runner, turns 70 this year and plans on coming from Chicago to run the race with her.

Smith, 59, was elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1999. He has a law degree from the University of Tulsa.

For him, serving as a celebrity runner is a way to set an example for his Cherokee people, and spread a message about healthy living, he said.

"Our people suffer from diabetes and heart disease," he said.

The Cherokee Nation may issue a challenge to other tribes to get involved in this year's Tulsa Run, he said.

It's been more than 20 years since he ran in the 15k race, but Smith keeps active with a regular gym workout two to three times a week in Tahlequah.

In 2009, he completed a 22-day, 950-mile bike ride that retraced the northern route of the Trail of Tears from Georgia to Oklahoma.