Melbourne, Florida - Mark DeCotis was officially "Welcomed Onboard" today as the Senior Editor and Writer for DistancePreps.com.  Mark joins DistancePreps after 37 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, section editor, online editor, sportswriter and columnist.

A little about Mark DeCotis:

Twice in my life I have seriously embraced running, completing a sub four-hour marathon, 30K, 10-miler, several 15Ks and numerous shorter races in the 1970s and 1980s and then duathlons, triathlons, 15K, half-marathon and other distances in this century. I also have been an avid cyclist, completing three century (100 miles in one day) events and multi-sport races of various distances.

My experience as a sportswriter includes covering NASCAR and sports car races at Daytona International Speedway since 1986 including 26 Daytona 500s. I also have covered the NHRA, the IndyCar Series and the Grand-American and American LeMans sports car series, motorcycle, ATV, speedboat and personal watercraft racing.

My resume also includes covering Washington Nationals spring training for four years, the Brevard County Manatees, Florida Tech athletics and a plethora of other including high school sports, road racing, triathlon, cycling, golf and boxing. I also have covered countless early Saturday morning cross country meets at the local, district and regional level and the FHSAA state cross country meet at Little Everglades where Brevard County has been dominant.

I see myself as both a reporter and a storyteller, the latter being the most fun.

My wife Pam and I and our family have lived in Melbourne since 1985. We have three grown children and four grandchildren. Pam's brother Tom Carr was an All-American miler at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. in the 1970s.

READ MARK'S STORIES "HERE"