It seems a life’s work, nothing less. In the early 80s I lived in the Houston area. The Bay Area Running Club (BARC) held sway on the gulf coast. I ran their circuit for a year before founding the Gulf Coast Windbreakers. I wanted to do something different for the running community.
For much of the 90s I lived an hour south of Houston in Lake Jackson. I founded the Brazosport Area Road Runners Association (BARRA) to administer my Brazosport Run For The Arts. Established a series of USATF Certified races, a community training group, and children’s program.
In the early 2000s I moved to Omaha, Nebraska. I saw a need and filled it by founding the USATF Nebraska Association Long Distance Running Program. Also established Team Nebraska to advocate for serious athletes looking to achieve their potential. And managed over a dozen races towards that end. Most importantly, Team Nebraska advocated for the full slate of Athletics, not simply running.
In 2013 I set up Nebraska Run Guru Elite to carry the competitive torch of excellence. For a couple of years our athletes were in it to win it.
At the same time I saw a shift occurring towards a more social aspect of the sport. A dilution of my message that left me feeling on the outside. Remember my tag line, “Stimulating The Running Community to a More Competitive Culture.”
Now in our Lord’s year of 2024 I am once again called.
July 2012. Linda and I put on the USA Club Track and Field National Championships at Burke Stadium in Omaha. 23 of the top clubs in the U.S. attended. Team Nebraska finished 2nd overall. The highwater mark for athletics excellence in Nebraska. Six months later Team Nebraska Brooks was no more, athletics fully dismissed in Nebraska. A tale best told over a double Oban.
2024 finds us in Iowa and hearing The Call, “Who will advocate for Excellence in Athletics?”
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