TOP CHEF's Richard Blais to Run New York City Marathon on Behalf of Education Organization 'Room to Read'

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Richard Blais will run the TCS New York City Marathon on behalf of global education organization, Room to Read. This will be Blais' fifth time running the New York City Marathon and he will run alongside his training partner as well as several other runners who are raising funds to support Room to Read's programs in literacy and girls' education in low-income countries. Blais joins Wimbledon champion, Garbiñe Muguruza and actress and advocate, Dilshad Vadsaria in endorsing Room to Read's global movement called Active for Education, https://www.roomtoread.org/getactive, which encourages supporters around the world to activate their body and mind through personalized fundraising campaigns.

"As a father of two young girls, I know how critical it is for kids to develop literacy skills and a love of reading at a young age as well as for girls to be supported to choose their own path in life," said Blais. "Room to Read brings quality education to millions of children around the world and I am proud to run the TCS New York City Marathon to raise awareness about their impactful work and support children to take their education over the finish line."

Blais is a successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard nominated cookbook author and television personality. A recurring judge on Bravo's TOP CHEF and the winner of TOP CHEF All-Stars, Blais currently owns and operates Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary company that has consulted on, designed, and operated numerous popular eateries. In San Diego, where he currently resides, Blais is a partner at the popular Juniper & Ivy and Crack Shack restaurants, which will be expanding to 4 locations in the coming months.

Blais is a James Beard Award-nominated author of Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate, and his second cookbook, So Good, was released in May 2017 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). In addition, Blais recently launched a podcast entitled "Starving for Attention" which provides an entertaining, behind-the-scenes look into the food industry. His new television show, Man vs Master, will debut on the FYI Network in the fall.

The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners and the largest marathon in the world. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the race features over 50,000 runners including the world's top professional athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners.

To support Room to Read's TCS New York City Marathon runners visit https://www.crowdrise.com/roomtoreadnyc2017.

About Room to Read Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read's innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools in low-income countries during two time periods that are most critical in a child's schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls' education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. Room to Read has benefited 11.6 million children across more than 20,000 communities in 14 countries and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

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