I joined Don and the Grand Rapids Marathon staff in 2010. The prior December I met my now wife and soon came to know many of the people on staff that were part of the Mars Hill Runners Group. It wasn’t long before I was invited to join the team, sharing the responsibility of the aid stations. Don often refers to the marathon staff as best in the business, and I was amazed at how true that was. My normal day job is working as a Planner for a local furniture manufacturer, so I often say “I’m wired this way.”

The first race I ran was the 2010 Riverbank Run 10k, and I noticed the planning and coordination that go into a well organized event. But it wasn’t just that. It was the energy of the participants. What has kept me so passionate through the last 15 years is the race weekend energy and watching participants have a chance to bring it all together and run the race they’ve worked so hard for!

Since 2010, a lot has changed. Not only did Sara and I get married and have two amazing and active kids, but I’ve currently run around three dozen half marathons and three marathons. After co-managing aid stations for several years, I really got a thirst for race management. Now I either direct or help manage the Grand Rapids Marathon family of races. I also started my own race management business, Rapid Running Races, and have two relay events of my own. Having a family, a full-time day job as a Planner, and managing races is busy, but being a part of West Michigan’s AMAZING running community is a privilege.