Voting Members Present: Jerry McDaniel, Allen Blay, Jeanne O’Kon, Carl Nordhielm, Mickey Moore, Lisa Unger, Debbie Peters, David Yon, Herb Wills, JoAnne Malphurs, Mark Priddy, Tina Bahmer, Judy Alexander (by phone). Absent: Hawthorne Hay, Emily Webster. Non-Voting Members Present: Kory Skrob, Bill Hillison, Mary Jean Yon, Jack McDermott, Laura McDermott, Charles Kelly, Gary Droze, Bill McGuire, Felton Wright, Bonnie Wright, Geb Giros, Tsige Tadesse, Jay Silvanima, Nancy Stedman, Danny Manausa.

1. Opening and Introduction: Jerry McDaniel opened the meeting at 6:38 p.m. A motion was made to approve the minutes of the April 8, 2026 meeting. Motion was seconded and passed.

2. Announcements: Jerry announced that a privacy policy has been worked on with Bill Dillon’s law firm. Bill completed the policy pro bono for the Club. He also announced that there is a vacancy on the Chenoweth Committee and Laura Dennis has been appointed.

3. Old Business/Race Closeouts:

a) Billy Bowlegs 5K/1m budget closeout: Bill Hillison reported that the profit made was $3200 toward scholarships for FSU students. All proceeds go to the scholarship fund. FSU provides most of the volunteers for the race. Motion was made and seconded to approve the budget closeout. Motion passed.

b) 2027 Tallahassee Marathon/Half marathon budget proposal: Kory Skrob discussed the re-submitted budget proposal. Board members received the revised proposal by email. Kory stated that she and Robert care deeply about the club and the marathon, and the event has become increasingly complex. This revised structure will allow sustained attention during the year to the event. Jerry asked for a motion to approve. Motion was made and seconded. Discussion ensured. Jerry pointed out that the magnitude of this event requires extraordinary amounts of time, and continuity is beneficial. The Marathon highlights Tallahassee in a beneficial way. He does not believe that the club is at the point where it would be appropriate to appoint a compensation committee to examine the viability of paying other race directors or work intensive Board members positions. The Skrobs have proposal that the fee would be included as part of the registration fee at no cost to the club. The registration fee would be raised by a like amount of the management fee.

Discussion ensued about the topic. Board members stated that one option is to settle on a flat fee to the race directors rather than being paid per runner. Other club members pointed out that creating a full-time race director job is a monumental change for the club. It was noted that the members were not made aware of the budget proposal. It may not fit the mission statement of the club. It could be contracted services. The club is a non-profit, and more transparency is needed. Others pointed out that two other club members have volunteered to direct the marathon voluntarily. A compensation committee could review this over time. A draft of a contract between the Skrobs and GWTC was forwarded to Jerry prior to the initial withdrawal and had not yet been examined. Input is needed from other club members and volunteers. The 50-year culture of the club has existed on a volunteer basis. Many race directors and volunteers have dedicated their lives to the club and have never asked for any reimbursement for any work. Such a monumental payment is something that several members disagree with. Informing club members about this is especially important before making this decision. Some felt that an additional year is needed to review this.

Other club members who are experienced race directors (including previous Marathon directors) pointed out that the previous Marathon course was safer and logistically easy. The expo had an in-kind sponsorship at no cost to the club. Some stated that the Marathon in its current form is very crowded and should not have more runners. The Marathon venue and course have been changed in recent years. This year, about 16% of the runners ran the full marathon. It has recently become more of a half-marathon. The economic impact to the City of Tallahassee should be a by-product; the focus should be on the runners. The Marathon could be scaled back to limit the number of runners. Where does it end if the club starts paying race directors?

Some Board members pointed out that financial decisions are the responsibility of the Board. The Marathon job has changed over time and the number of runners has increased substantially. Some of the previous Marathon/Half marathon race directors attended and expressed support for the Skrob proposal, while other former Marathon/Half Marathon race directors were opposed.

Other Board members asked if there is a breakdown informing runners that part of their registration fee would go to pay the race directors. A race like the Marathon is a destination race with many people coming from out of town. The Marathon has had several race directors over time and takes a tremendous amount of work and time. There are several steps that must be taken in preparation. The current race directors have a unique skill set to help the Marathon go well. Visit Tallahassee was actually a larger sponsor than Bank of America for the Marathon. Outside vendors (police, DJ, course measurement, timers, and others) are already paid. According to one person, it takes 1600 runners to break even on the Marathon.

Other club members pointed out that the Marathon has evolved. At one time, Tim Simpkins directed Springtime Tallahassee but he wanted to be paid. The payment to the Skrobs can be seen as a one-year decision, although the club treasurer disagreed. There are many considerations about the Marathon course itself. Developing a “more friendly” race course was discussed. Some club members felt it was a good opportunity for the club to grow the sport.

Judy Alexander attended by phone, and she volunteered to direct the Marathon. If alternatives exist, a year could be taken to review this proposal. She submitted bullet points pointing out that paying race directors should not be adopted without a clear and compelling need. Non-monetary recognition should be considered first. More thought should be given to paying for other labor-intensive positions such as treasurer and secretary.

Another motion was made and seconded that the president appoint a contract committee to review the one-year contract before entering into the contract with Robert and Kory Skrob. Motion was seconded and passed. A one-year contract will be worked on and reviewed by the committee.

4. Reports: Note: Some reports were omitted due to the length of the meeting.

Treasurer: Carl concurred with the President’s suggestion to truncate or skip committee reports in the interest of managing meeting length. No treasurer’s report was presented. Board members were referred to the financial statements included with the board meeting preparation package distributed in advance of the meeting.

Triathlete Club: No report.

Director of Race Directors: The next club race, the Summer Trail Series race one, is at the end of the month. Lisa has communicated with the EMS crew to ensure the ambulance and cart will be on site for the event.

Director of Communications: The current membership numbers are: Individual 464 (498 last year at this time), and Family 970 (833 last year at this time). Total members: 1,434.

Director of Education and Socials: No report.

RACER Committee: Danny Manausa will present the ’26 Fall Program” at the June meeting.

Chenoweth Fund: The Chenoweth Committee received and approved a request for funding from Lincoln High School for $1000.00. Motion was made and seconded to approve this request. Motion passed. Also, SMIRFS starts on June 1 through August 8. Getting the information out to schools and elementary-age students would be helpful.

Merchandise: No report.

Equipment: As reported last month, ten of the Club’s 6-foot folding tables have broken handles. A possible replacement handle has been found, and the plan is to purchase and test one in the near future. There are no other equipment issues to report at this time.

Chip Timing Report: In April, the only races chip timed were two Club races (Bowlegs 5K/1M Run for Scholarship; and Palace Saloon 5K). In May, two non-Club races (Tails & Trails Half Marathon/10K/5K/1M; and St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral Mother’s Day 5K/1M) and one Club race (GWTC Summer Trail Series Race #1 – Oak Hammock Trail) are scheduled to be chip timed. (Note: the Tails &Trails races were cancelled due to severe weather). During June, two non-Club races (Wedding Bell 5K: and Monticello Kiwanis 5K Melon Run) and two Club races (Great Potluck Bash 4-Mile Prediction Run; and Summer Trail Series Race #2 – Redbug Trai) are scheduled to be chip timed.

Revenue received for the fiscal year-to-date (July 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026) for chip timing totals $8,030.00.

Grand Prix Committee: No report.

School Grants Coordinator: No report.

Training Groups Coordinator: Emily Webster sent a report stating that there is a desperate need of a new leader for the Beginning Running group. Unfortunately Elizabeth is having to step back from doing it. If any board members are interested in helping or know someone who would, please have them reach out to Emily. Below is the basic information for the group from last fall:

Wednesday, 6:00 p.m., from September 24 – November 19, 2025
Where: Korean War Memorial at Cascades Park (1001 South Gadsden)

Meeting adjourned: 8:03 p.m.

Jeanne O’Kon, Secretary