High Country Running: My 25-year accidental experiment in race directing

In September 2001, when my friend Dr. Bill Gaylord invited me to a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff (BBBSF) board meeting, I met Kay and Dave McKay — the charismatic founders of one of Flagstaff’s oldest nonprofits (BBBSF was established in 1967). I was most interested in mentoring as a Big Brother but also joined the board and was “gently” coaxed into voluntarily directing Flagstaff’s oldest race: the half-marathon started in 1978.

At the time, I had lived in Flagstaff for 15 years, and the BBBSF Half Marathon was my favorite race. I knew that the board’s seasoned volunteers, including runners Jim Driscoll, Dave Klensin, Pat Madden, Rich Haag and Gene Munger, would guide me every step of the way. I was also training for a little-known trail race in its second year: Bill Ring’s Soulstice Mountain Trail Run.