NOVA Team Profile: Bob Weiner

PRs
Mile 4:26.5
Half Mile: 1:56.9

Bob Weiner models two NOVA jerseys (c. 1975/2012)
photo courtesy Justin Buenaflor

Bob Weiner joined NOVA in 1975.  An active member of the DC running community, he currently serves a Chair of the Masters Media Committee for USA Track and Field and is on the executive committee of Masters Track and Field. This year he won USA Track and Field’s highest national service award for masters, the David Pain Distinguished Service Award, and in 2011 he won the President’s Award for all USA Track and Field. Bob has directed media for the US national indoor and outdoor masters championships since 2003 and is credited with dramatically increasing coverage. He is passionate about the message of lifetime health and fitness through training and competition. He has made all-American in masters track almost every year and regularly medaled in the steeplechase or the mile among the top three at the national age-group masters championships. 

In addition to NOVA, Bob is President of the Capitol Hill Runners, former President of the Sugarloaf Mt. AC (MA), former Vice President of the DC Road Runners, and an active member of the Potomac Valley Track Club. He led the successful bid for the first Indoor National Masters Championship in the DC area in 2009, and it is returning this year.  He was co-director of the Mobil Invitational Masters Mile for eight years, and was director and Chair of the RRCA National Ten Mile Championship. While working at the White House, Bob served on the Executive Board of the White House Fitness Center. Bob directed White House drug policy media at the Sydney Olympics and WADA media at the Salt Lake Olympic Games. Former USADA Chair and Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter said at a White House celebration of Bob’s career that Bob helped to create WADA and USADA. 

Throughout his storied career, his running highlights include: First Place, Ohio Conference Cross Country Relays, 1967 (Bob Murphey and Bob were first of 50 two-man teams from the colleges throughout Ohio); 3^rd, New Jersey High School Prep School State Meet, 1965 (4:35.0, Bob’s Blair Academy school record); 1^st sub-5 mile taking first in 4:51 to beat Lawrenceville School’s runners on their home indoor track on a Saturday night in front of their girlfriends after the same runners had swept Bob at Bob’s Blair Academy in cross country…). Masters highlights: 2^nd place and 3^rd place in several national championships in mile/1500 and steeplechase at various ages.

Bob is a regular commentator on national issues on Main Street Radio Network’s 200 stations, a regular “Washington Insider” commentator on Fox Television on “Fox and Friends” has been on CNN, ABC, NBC, ABC, Showtime, Bill Maher, Crossfire, Geraldo, many other radio and television shows, is often in print media, and has written over 200 op-eds published in major papers. In addition to political and government issues, many of Bob’s op-eds call for drug-free sports as well as lifetime fitness.

Bob has a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. in Recent American History from the University of Massachusetts. Bob co-captained the Blair Academy (NJ) cross country team, and won the Ohio Conference Cross Country Relays while running for Oberlin College (OH).  He also ran track all four years at Blair and Oberlin. 

Bob is President of Robert Weiner Associates Public Affairs and Issue Strategies since leaving the White House in Aug. 2001 after 6 ½ years there. He was Director of Public Affairs and Spokesman, Office of National Drug Policy, under President Clinton and Drug Czars General Barry McCaffrey and Lee Brown, and also for the Bush transition. Earlier in his 30-year top level government and political career, Bob was Director of Communications, House Government Operations Committee, under Cong. John Conyers; Communications Director, House Narcotics Committee, under Cong. Charles Rangel; Chief of Staff, House Aging Committee, under Cong. Claude Pepper, where Bob led the Pepper bill successfully abolishing age-based mandatory retirement and efforts to protect Social Security and Medicare; and Legislative Assistant to Cong. Ed Koch.