Back up to full speed today, Giddyup! Two major announcements today that I couldn’t be prouder of.
Nebraska Run Guru Elite is happy to announce the addition of Michel Solan Davy. Michel reached out to me several weeks ago after coming upon your scribe’s daily musings/rants. We had her and husband Jesse out to the Bar None for dinner a couple of weeks ago, the two way interview process. A former Florida Southern College standout where she was the Runner of the Year in 1998. Transferred to Wayne State in 1999 and took a break but resumed running again after her first child in 2006, debuted at the Omaha Marathon that year in 3:32:55. Improved to 3:21:54 at the 2010 Foot Traffic Marathon in Portland. And has been a consistent top finisher this year at some of the local 5Ks. Michel is exactly the type of athlete that is a perfect fit for NRGE. She gets me, she gets Linda.
I love her formal acceptance words, “80% of my eagerness & enthusiasm is being under you & Linda. The other 20% is about joining the team. Megan from TN has been so welcoming in reaching out but I want to be where you & Linda are. I would really like a coach. Are you still willing? I’m so ready to start!”
Bolding courtesy of me. She’ll wear our kit well. And open some doors. I related to Linda that this was the first drip, the first inkling, the dyke beginning to fail, the first instance of competitive athletes realizing there are better fits. Welcome Michel!
And even more exciting news to me personally. During my divorce I knew my time in Omaha was limited. I immediately began searching for my next landing pad. I turned down an offer to return to my beloved Lone Star State to head up my former club and direct the Surfside Marathon. I also turned down interviews with the Twin Cities Marathon, Chicago Marathon, USATF National Office, and the New Jersey USATF LDR program. What I did pursue was a tip from my old buddy Gary Fanelli Jr. Gary is somewhat famous for his acquiring dual citizenship and representing American Samoa in the 1988 Olympic Marathon. He had heard I was considering becoming an expatriot and let me know that Saint Kitts and Nevis was looking for a National Distance Coach for their fledgling efforts to build an Olympic Marathon team. I began pulling together my resources and references, wondering if this once in a lifetime opportunity could possibly be my dream come true. I received my official offer from the Sports Ministry yesterday. Linda and I are putting the Bar None on the market and will be relocating to Basseterre on April 20th. I’m thrilled to embark on this next adventure and will always recall my time in Omaha with pride and amusement. The teams and programs that will be my legacy will offer entries into the athletic historical fabric of Nebraska. I’ll always be able to say I wore it well here.
About Author
