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 some people who try to run marathons in all 50 states, and others whose only race is the Breakfast on the Track Mile, and that’s plenty enough. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. We don’t count how many races we run. We care a little bit about our times, but at the end of the day, we sleep just as well at night regardless. It’s not like there is a Nobel Prize for Running.

However, in Tallahassee and in Gulf Winds Track Club, there sort of is a Nobel Prize for Running. We call it the GWTC Extreme Challenge and it requires a runner to race all 22 GWTC races, and do the longest distance at each. So, you’ve got to do everything from the BOT Mile, to the 50 miler at Wakulla. The marathon. The 30k challenge. A whole bunch of 5k and 10k races, and the Summer Trail Series. Honestly, it takes a special breed of idiot to try to do this. I can’t take credit for that expression – that came from a comment made by one of the few successful Extreme Challenge finishers, John Baughman, who also won runner of the year in 2022 for being enough of an idiot to do this (and also a really great guy). He’s the last person to do it. Mark Tombrink has done it three times, most recently in 2018. Zach Scharlepp, Joel Piotrowski, and Emma Spencer did it in 2015. And that’s it.

Well, until this year. On December 20, 2025, Ian Fitton somehow finished 7th in the Tannenbaum 6k, one week after finishing 3rd at the 50 miler down at Wakulla. Ian doesn’t just have a lot of endurance, he’s also fast. And just finishing all those races is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations, Ian – this is a big testament to guts because there’s no way you were feeling healthy and like running every single race. I also want to give a huge shout out to Scott Zengel. He came the closest you possibly can to finishing this without finishing it. He ran all of the GWTC races, and did the longest distance at all of them – except for the Ultra. He “only” finished the Bill Hillison 50k, not the 50M. How tough is Scott? He registered for both the 50k AND the 50M because he wanted the Grand Prix points for the 50k. When he finished the fifth lap, he realized he wasn’t going to finish the 50M in time. But he nonetheless ran the Tannenbaum the next weekend, which shows just how tough he is.

What strikes me most about this Extreme Challenge is how blessed we are in Tallahassee. Our club puts on 22 races, all completely directed and staffed by volunteers. The races cost half, and often less than half, what other races cost in other places. You have to take out loans to run that many races in Atlanta. Most community run clubs put on far fewer races, and only a handful – actually less than a handful – have the variety that we do. It speaks to the high quality of involvement from our running community. The only thing race directors get is that they get to choose which charity receives half the proceeds from their race. GWTC also puts on all the Summer Track events, which aren’t part of this Extreme Challenge. Those also are volunteer driven. And we have run groups, managed by volunteers, that meet almost every day of the week all year round, as well as the SMIRFs youth program, this publication, our new We Run This Town Podcast, and so much more. When I talk with people from other places, I realize how great we have it. When it comes to running, I don’t know anything except Tallahassee, so I think I took it for granted until I got involved with GWTC and started talking with people from other places. We’ve got something to be really proud of and thankful for here.

As we get into 2026, take a look at our race calendar: https://www.gulfwinds. org/race-calendar-2026/. Check out all the different distances, and all the different surfaces you have to choose from, and join us out at the races. And get involved – volunteer to help out at some of the races you don’t run. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to get to know other runners in the community. I’ll see you out on the trails and at the races!