President's Column - December 2024

Jennifer Hay, Vice President

This is my last article as your vice president. I don’t know how I let Jerry talk me into sharing the President’s letter responsibilities with him, but I’m glad he did. I liked having a way to make his presidency a smidge easier because I’m confident I made it harder in other ways. It also made me carve out additional time to consider how I could contribute to the Club.

I used to think of Gulf Winds Track Club as Carter’s (husband) and Hawthorne’s (son) people. They’re the fast runners in the family. They’re the ones who love to race and then hang out for the awards and chat with people. I even sent them to the January awards events and holiday parties without me. But you people sucked me in and made me care. You also showed me that GWTC isn’t just for the fast people and the ones training for Saturday morning PRs. Above all else, GWTC offers the village to support everyone in their pursuit to be their best selves. I have so enjoyed serving as your vice president the past two years. I’m proud of the work we did to expand the group run schedule, including starting a new training group for the half marathon. I’m excited to have the Running Shorts e-mail announcements going out each month to keep you in the loop. And I’m also glad to see the increased enthusiasm for getting involved and making new connections. As I pivot to my new position as Director of Communications, I hope to increase Club membership and outreach with new Instagram and Strava accounts and updates to the website—and to find new ways to help us grow and thrive as a community. As I figure out what all that will involve, I’d love to hear your ideas for how to make our Club even better. Text me: 850-294-9395. Y’all are awesome! ❤

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Presidents Column November 2026

After four years, I have chosen not to run for President again, thereby makingroom for new leadership. As such, this will be my final column since Allen Blay(VP) and I alternate each month. This is one innovation I decided upon whenI started, with Jennifer Hay (former...

Vice Presidents Column October 2026

Today (September 26) was the GWTC Salute to Steve Prefontaine Forest Run. We held it at the JR Alford Greenway this year, and I want to give a lot of thanks to CJ, Chris, Travis, Titus, and the entire crew with Leon County Parks & Rec. They were tremendously...

Presidents Column September 2026

The GWTC Annual Town Hall was a good and fun event! For those of you who were able to attend, those on the Board who were present and I enjoyed the socialization and sharing of club information in person. For those who were unable to come, I’ll share some of the...

Vice Presidents Column August 2026

I just got home tonight from five days in Blowing Rock, NC chaperoning 28 local runners at a high school XC camp. I’m tired, but rejuvenated – there isn’t anything as entertaining as watching a team build chemistry by hanging around each other in close, smelly...

Presidents Column June-July 2026

GWTC Board meetings are typically fairly languid, but interesting, affairs. The last couple of Board meetings have seen an infusion of energy that is atypical but welcome, as differing opinions are generally good for organizations. In April, the 2026 Marathon/Half...

Vice Presidents Column May 2026

Every runner, if they stay in the sport long enough, comes face-to-face with injury. It is not a question of if, but when. And when it happens, the real challenge is often not physical - it is mental. We have plans, goals, races circled on the calendar. We build...

Presidents Column April 2026

Robert Skrob recently forwarded me a report from RunSignup (RSU) that chronicles race trends for 2025. I found it pretty interesting and will summarize some of the findings here and contrast what I can with my perceptions of our local experience. RSU estimates that...

Vice Presidents Column March 2026

On February 8, 2026, I woke up to one of the most beautiful days of the year. The temperature was almost perfect for a nice little run. However, the only running I did that day was running from the parking lot of the new FSU Herbert Wertheim College of Business to the...

Presidents Column February 2026

I have to say, until recently, I had yet to attend a widely recognized world event, athletic or otherwise, that happens to be held in a different part of the planet each year. The World Cross Country Championships was an event to behold. I was fortunate to attend the...

Vice Presidents Column January 2026

Runners are a different breed. We do something for fun that often is used as punishment in other sports. However, there are definitely different breeds of runners. There are the ones who try to win the races and the ones who don’t pay any attention to time. There are...