Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Jim Ryun

Jim Ryun

Track and Field Legend and Congressman

When Olympian, All-American, United States Congressman (retired) & 2020 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Jim Ryun speaks from experience about dreaming big and how failures can guide you to your true gifting, you can't help but be inspired. Especially when you know a little bit about his remarkable life's journey. That journey has led him from being cut from the church baseball team to being rated by ESPN as the number one high school athlete of the century, beating out Tiger Woods and ...
 

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

When Olympian, All-American, United States Congressman (retired) & 2020 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Jim Ryun speaks from experience about dreaming big and how failures can guide you to your true gifting, you can’t help but be inspired. Especially when you know a little bit about his remarkable life’s journey. That journey has led him from being cut from the church baseball team to being rated by ESPN as the number one high school athlete of the century, beating out Tiger Woods and LeBron James.

Jim represented the United States of America on three Olympic Teams (Winning the World Silver in the 1500m at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics) and help numerous world records in the mile, 1500 meters, 800 meters, and 880 yards. He was the first high school boy to run the mile in under 4 minutes in June 1964. His achievements to this day garner media attention, having begun with ABC’s wide world of sports and the Today Show, continuing with appearances on Fox News, ESPN, and the 700 Club. He has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated 7 times, Newsweek, Runner’s World, Parade Magazine, and featured in many newspaper and magazine articles pertaining to his running career as well as his expertise as a former United States Congressman. Over the last 50 years, he has spoken to thousands at various conferences, workshops, clinics, running camps, churches, prayer breakfasts, men’s conferences, and political meetings. He is a frequent contributor to various publications. He has authored a number of books with his sons, the most recent, Courage to Run, is a 60-day devotional reflecting on his life as an athlete, husband, parent, and US congressman.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

Dreaming Big: Have You Reached Your Potential?

Videos

Videos

Jim Ryun's World Record (1967)
JIM RYUN || ANALYZING THE GREATS || UNITED STATES

Books

THE COURAGE TO RUN
THE COURAGE TO RUN

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"