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CONTACT: Anne Knight
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SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 – Knoxville, TN: Early today Bob Sutton interrupted a 17-mile run in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park by diving 35 feet into the park’s deepest river pit to retrieve a 3-carat diamond and his gold wedding ring. This is the second of three “foolish” feats to which the 55-year-old Knoxville businessman challenged himself to raise awareness of the need to increase registration in the Harvard Anti-Epileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, which tracks birth defects in women taking anti-seizure medication.

“I’m no doctor or scientist, but I figured even an old fool could do something to support research in epilepsy, which has no celebrity spokesperson,” says Sutton. Hoping media attention would provide a platform for his message, he embarked on an “Old Fools Trifecta” when he discovered that his daughter’s prescription lacked data on birth safety.

Completing his first event last April, Sutton was the first to cross the finish line in the 2007 Boston Marathon. Starting before other runners, he ran at night at the height of the worst storm in the race's history, with headwinds to 35 mph. After his “victory,” he cleared storm debris for other racers. The final event, planned for 2008, pits Sutton against WBC World Women's Boxing Titlist, Ann Marie Saccurato. “Preparing to meet up with Ann Marie helped me get in better shape and get to know some extraordinary people,” says Sutton, who has trained three years. His coach is veteran pro John Foust; world Champion Bernard Taylor agreed to help with Sutton’s conditioning.

“A parent always wants to be able to make a child ‘all well,” says Sutton. “I felt frustrated by where we are in epilepsy research and the fact that fewer than 1% of pregnant women with epilepsy have registered with the Harvard registry.” After the Boston race, Sutton visited the Harvard Pediatric Neurology Research Center to meet with Registry Director Lewis Holmes, who confirmed that more data are needed to establish drug safety during gestation. “Women with epilepsy face difficult decisions when they want to start a family,” says Sutton, “and many American soldiers, women and men returning from Iraq with head injuries, will now combat epilepsy. Living with epilepsy demands courage, but our fear of epilepsy leaves it underfunded. I’m hoping my foolishness inspires some serious attention and donations.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.oldfool.net, which has links to three epilepsy foundations: