[Author’s Note: This is the final article in an eight-part series in AJW’s Taproom called Race Director Chronicles, where we profile the unsung heroes who make our sport’s racing possible.]

Michael Owen ran his first ultramarathon on the ripe previous age of 21 at The North Face 50 Mile Championships in 2010, ending tenth. Now 34, Owen continues to compete at a excessive degree in ultras throughout the nation. Nonetheless, in recent times he has additionally established himself as some of the profitable occasion administrators within the U.S. because the mastermind behind Southeastern Ohio Path Runners (now SEOTR Occasions). In his function as director, Owen presides over six wildly profitable path runs on this particular little nook of Ohio. Not too long ago, I sat down with Owen to ask him a couple of questions.

Michael Owen in race director mode. Photograph: Stu Siegfried

AJW: How lengthy have you ever been directing ultrarunning and path working occasions in Ohio?

Michael Owen: The primary race I directed was throughout graduate faculty in 2014, once I was 24 years previous. It was a gaggle challenge for an occasion administration course I used to be taking. This primary race was a path half marathon on a few of the most rugged trails within the area, and we had 82 runners!

This was the identical time I used to be establishing a path working “membership” for the realm, referred to as Southeastern Ohio Path Runners, which aimed to advertise the game of path working and to foster a path working group within the area. I used to be so lucky the professor of that occasion administration class urged my group to placed on an occasion for SEOTR, and that’s what kickstarted all my occasions! That first occasion was my solely race for 2 years, nevertheless it grew to 180 runners in 12 months two, and that confirmed me there was some potential in placing on path races, and it was additionally an effective way to develop the path working group.

SEOTR as a “membership” morphed extra right into a race administration group in 2016, and is now branded as “SEOTR Occasions.” We presently host seven annual occasions with 15 race distances starting from one-mile enjoyable runs to 50 miles, with a yard extremely format occasion that has reached 229 miles.

The 12 months 2023 was the tenth 12 months of directing path races, and it’s onerous to imagine subsequent 12 months will kick off a second decade!

AJW: What’s the most satisfying facet of your work as a race director?

Owen: I’ve actually beloved being a part of the expansion of path working in southeastern Ohio and the broader area. A whole lot of my finest buddies are from this sport, and I might have by no means met them with out being a race director.

On an occasion planning degree, I’m actually drawn to particulars and group. Occasion directing is sort of a big puzzle the place there are quite a few items that must be accomplished, some at particular occasions and in a particular method, all needing to come back collectively for a last product. I benefit from the satisfaction of seeing all these items come collectively on race day. The purpose is for runners to have a tremendous expertise at your occasion, so if all these behind-the-scenes duties had been accomplished effectively it’s good to know you helped present that memorable expertise for them.

Michael Owen hugs a finisher at one in all his occasions. Photograph: John Dolovacky

AJW: What makes working in Ohio so distinctive and particular?

Owen: I actually wish to advocate for Ohio path working! I believe lots of people which have by no means been to Ohio view it as a flat flyover state with quite a lot of cornfields and farms. There’s quite a lot of that sort of land, however Ohio additionally has an unlimited quantity of land formed by glacial outwash that carved deep and steep ravines. I used to be born, raised, and nonetheless reside within the far southeast portion of Ohio, the place the land is a part of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. We don’t have lengthy uphills, however there are steep, rugged, and really frequent uphills.

In southeast Ohio we’ve got an incredible community of path programs at dozens of state parks, state forests, and the state’s solely Nationwide Forest. With out a big metropolitan space in southeastern Ohio. These trails will put you in some distant and much out areas, and that’s what I’m drawn to essentially the most. There’s a way of freedom, possession, and wilderness in these areas, which may actually form who you’re as a runner. I believe this ruggedness is a good instance of the mentality of Ohio path runners, and it’s evident by the individuals from Ohio who do some fairly wonderful issues on this sport!

AJW: What are the three greatest challenges you face as a race director?

Owen: Being a race director requires drawback fixing, shortly adapting to altering conditions, and considering quick when obstacles come up. Going through the COVID-19 pandemic as a race director was essentially the most difficult second in my profession, however I wish to assume it gave me extra instruments and perspective to face future challenges!

I’m so lucky to have a devoted base of volunteers at our occasions, in addition to a pair key employees members who work on bigger duties, however volunteer coordination and planning is without doubt one of the most necessary elements of my race directing. With out having a significant metropolis populus to attract from, we’ve got restricted useful resource swimming pools, plus many of the path runners within the space shall be working the races! Volunteer recruitment, coaching, planning, and execution is without doubt one of the greatest areas that I’m targeted on whereas planning an occasion, as a result of it’s so essential in offering a great expertise to runners. My longer distance races have single-loop programs that require extra help stations — which is the expertise I need to give our runners — nevertheless it supplies logistical hurdles to get the allowing, the variety of individuals signed up, and the tools to these places.

Climate has been difficult at a few of my occasions. Climate could make or break the turnout of the occasion, add security considerations, or create robust conditions on the subject of canceling, suspending, or delaying an occasion. I’m often glued to climate forecasts as my occasions method and regulate or enact plans based mostly on what the climate shall be.

Lastly, I’ve discovered it onerous through the years to handle my private run coaching throughout race directing. Through the busy occasions of race directing, I usually find yourself not working as a lot as I hope. Folks typically remark to me that I’m fortunate as a runner that I get to be concerned in working for my job, however typically it’s onerous to separate private working from race directing, and on the finish of the day I simply need to not take into consideration working. Through the yard extremely I direct, I find yourself not sleeping for a number of days straight, and people forms of occasions are onerous to bodily bounce again from. Fortunately, these are challenges that may be labored by way of, and I wouldn’t need to do it in a different way!

AJW: What adjustments have you ever seen within the sport because you started directing occasions? Constructive? Damaging? Each?

Owen: The game has grown a lot worldwide previously decade, which I’m grateful to learn from, however that has created adjustments that may probably be detrimental. Nonetheless, I wish to assume that progress is at all times a web optimistic. One of many adjustments I’ve acknowledged is a shift away from “club-based” occasions to occasions being a part of a enterprise construction. I received into the game by working grassroots occasions placed on by golf equipment like West Virginia Mountain Path Runners (WVMTR), so I’ll at all times have an affinity towards these forms of occasions.

However with the expansion of path working, I imagine having people directing races as a profession is the brand new regular. To supply top-level races, there nearly must be somebody devoted to it full-time. On the similar time, I believe there must be a community-focused method to occasions nonetheless, the place the race director is a neighborhood one that understands and is a part of that group. I couldn’t think about directing a race in a spot I wasn’t from or conversant in.

AJW: What are you wanting ahead to most within the 2024 occasion season?

Owen: I stay up for rising our present occasions and getting them nearer and nearer to the imaginative and prescient that I’ve for them. I like to have a look at our lineup of occasions as every serving a novel objective. A few of our occasions are extra superior and supply a giant problem to veteran path runners and ultrarunners, however different occasions are extra suited to first-time runners and youth. For the group to develop, I believe it’s necessary to give attention to all these areas, and never simply the massive, lengthy, and onerous races — as grandiose and interesting as these forms of occasions are. I believe our occasions are to the purpose in 2024 the place we will begin specializing in these areas of progress extra, and I stay up for greeting all these new runners on the end line!

Bottoms up!

AJW’s Beer of the Week

This week’s Beer of the Week comes, appropriately sufficient, from Ohio. Wooly Pig Farm Brewery in Fresno, Ohio, is residence to 1899 Previous Pils, a implausible, basic, old skool German pilsner that’s mild and crisp. A splendidly clean pilsner, 1899 goes effectively with absolutely anything however particularly basic U.S. Midwestern barbecue.

Name for Feedback

• Have you ever attended any SEOTR occasions?
• If that’s the case, what one was your favourite?