Posted: December 5, 2004

Athletics: USATF honors Belk with Pacesetter Award

PORTLAND, Ore.- Philanthropist and track and field aficionado Irwin "Ike" Belk has been honored by USA Track & Field with the prestigious Pacesetter Award. The announcement was made Friday evening at the Jesse Owens Awards and Xerox Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with USATF's Annual Meeting.

The Pacesetter Award is one of the highest honors given by USA Track & Field and is awarded only on special occasions to individuals who embody the highest ideals of the organization. Through his dedication to making the sport accessible to Americans through the donation of track facilities, and through his continued devotion to the future of the sport, Belk has been chosen to receive the award. Jim Beatty, the first man ever to run under 4 minutes for the indoor mile and a fellow North Carolinian and friend of Mr. Belk's, presented the award to Mr. Belk's granddaughter, Jamee Wallis.

Mr. Belk has carried his love for track & field from his days as a high-school record holder into the State House and the boardroom. The one-time half-mile state record holder in North Carolina, Mr. Belk has gone on to be perhaps the biggest individual philanthropist in the sport, building 28 tracks throughout the country and serving as a Board member for the USA Track & Field Foundation. He also is the largest individual donor to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Mr. Belk is President of The Belk Group, Inc., and retired president of the Belk Group of Stores, which operates 250 department stores throughout the Southeast. He is a former North Carolina State Senator, serves on the Board of Directors at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and was appointed by President Clinton as the United States Public delegate to the 54th United Nations General Assembly in 1999.

"Ike Belk is an example of how an individual's love for the sport can manifest itself in many ways," said USATF CEO Craig A. Masback. "He has been an athlete, philanthropist and contributor who has truly made a difference. The sport of track & field and the Olympic movement owe Mr. Belk a huge debt of gratitude. With the Pacesetter Award, we offer him a token of our profound thanks."

For more information on the 2004 USATF Annual Meeting, visit USATF.org.