In accordance with the Capital Striders Club by-laws, we officially announce the 2022 Board of Directors election. Our 2022 Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, April 22. Voting for this year’s election will be by electronic ballot on April 15-22. You must be a current Capital Striders member to vote and your membership number will be required.
There are three open positions on the Board of Directors - and we offer up our sincere appreciation to Jason Kenyon and Jeff Wamser for their service to the club as they leave their official roles on the Board. The third open position is a previously-vacated role.
We also have two current Board members (Melinda Urick and David Pullara) who are up for re-election.
We asked our new candidates a few questions to help you learn a little about each of them. (Candidates are listed in no particular order.) Here are their answers:
Paul Grinvalds
1. What area(s) of the club would you focus on as a Board Member? Some of the examples are: membership, scholarship, equipment, club races, newsletter/social media, merchandise, social functions, bookkeeping/financials, volunteer coordination, training runs, etc.
As a former actuary, the bookkeeping and financials sound fun! But, I would be willing to contribute to whatever needs the club has.
2. What special skills would you bring to the Board?
I have been the race director for the Taste of Hope 5K for about 15 years and was on the IMT Des Moines Marathon committee for several years. I have run over 200 races ranging from 50 meters to 50 miles so I have a lot of race experience from different aspects. I also coached kids sports for several years; mostly soccer but also some baseball and football.
3. How have you been involved with the Capital Striders in the past?
I am a long time member of the Capital Striders. I have run several Capital Strider races and volunteered for some. I frequently run with the group on Saturday mornings as well as attend some of the social events.
4. Tell us about yourself - work, family, running experience, civic activities - anything you would like people to know.
I have been retired from Farm Bureau Financial Services for a few years. I have an actuarial background but over the years I had quite a variety of different positions.
I have been running since 8th grade more or less continuously. I had my right hip replaced a couple of years ago so I have cut back on running from six days a week to three days a week but now am biking a lot more than in the past to maintain fitness levels.
Of my five kids, one of my sons ran track at Iowa State for a couple of years and another one of my sons recently ran a 2:51:28 marathon so it seems I did something right with respect to running!
5. What is your biggest motivation to get out the door for a run, on the days you just don’t want to?
I suppose the best explanation is that I have running goals and the only way to achieve those goals is to do my running and biking workouts as planned.
Jason Hahn
1. What area(s) of the club would you focus on as a Board Member?
I’d be happy to focus on any area of need. I’d have particular interest in scholarship, races, training runs and based on my professional experience I believe I could be helpful with bookkeeping and financials.
2. What special skills would you bring to the Board?
I am currently Managing Director of High Yield Research at Principal Financial Group and have spent my entire career in finance and investments and as such have a strong understanding of accounting and financial management.
3. How have you been involved with the Capital Striders in the past?
I am not exactly sure when I first became a member, but believe it was some time in the early 2000’s and have been a member ever since. My involvement has been through participating in the Striders races (I think I’ve done them all at least once) and through the Saturday training runs and occasionally at the Wednesday track workouts.
4. Tell us about yourself - work, family, running experience, civic activities - anything you would like people to know.
I ran track and cross country in high school and my freshman year in college. After taking a decade off, I started running again in 2000 and recently celebrated my 22nd year back running. I’ve done 9 marathons, 1 ultra and ran 50 miles on my 50th birthday. I also enjoy shorter races and have participated in all comers / master’s track meets. Married with three kids – all of whom are runners. Professional – as mentioned currently the Managing Director of High Yield Research at Principal Financial Group where I have worked since 2004.
5. What is your biggest motivation to get out the door for a run, on the days you just don’t want to?
I enjoy running and there aren’t many days that I really don’t want to run. I do make myself take one day off every week and typically cross-train 1-2 days per week. For me running is relaxing and I don’t quite feel right if I miss a run, so that is probably the biggest motivation. I believe consistency is important to running, but as I’ve gotten a little older I’ve learned that if I really don’t feel like running my body is probably telling me something and its likely better to take a day off than end up getting injured and miss a month – which is infinitely more annoying.
James Laughlin
1: If I was to be selected as a board member where would I focus my energy? As a long term goal I would like to see programming geared towards the next generation of runners. Specifically, I would like to introduce a youth trail running program. Additionally, I could leverage my profession as a physical therapist assistant specializing in running injuries to write a column for the newsletter. Finally, I have always been interested in hosting a race so I would be happy to assist with one of the Striders races.
2: What strengths/skills would I bring to the Board? I am a former board member of the Alumni Association at Mercy College. I have been a Big Brother in the Big Brother and Big Sister program. I have been a clinic director. These roles have taught me leadership, humility, partnership, and when to be a challenger. Personally, I think my optimism and “get things done” attitude would be an asset in a Board environment. I enjoy collaboration, planning and execution of the plan.
3: My current involvement with the Striders has been as a consumer. I have participated in several of the recurring Strider’s events. As a PTA at Kinetic Edge, I have assisted with hosting Saturday morning training runs in both Des Moines and Waukee. I have also used Kinetic Edge social media to support races and events put on by the Striders.
4: I live in Ankeny with my partner of six years Sally. We have two kids Tacoree 7 and Reagan 9. We have three dogs Greta, Madge and Sully. Sully is three months old and is keeping us on our toes. We also have two Dwarf African frogs Chase and Bolt. Our kids are very active. Tacoree plays Rush soccer and many of the intramural sports. He completed his 1st 5K this year. Reagan swims with the North Side Swim Team, the Otters, and plays Softball with Ankeny Extreme.
Professionally I work at Kinetic Edge Physical Therapy where I am a physical therapist assistant. My job is my vocation combining my passions running and helping others return to activity.
I started running in high school to stay fit for wrestling. I took a few years off in college and focused on weightlifting but found myself gravitating back to running during my junior year. Recently I’ve found myself running longer and longer distances. I have completed at least five ultra-distance races. I train road but prefer trail running when I have the time. I enjoy running with groups or on my own. I’m one of those “no headphone” guys. I like the opportunity to disconnect, or reconnect with nature, and not be distracted by technology.
I joined the striders for a sense of community engagement. I appreciate how helpful and supportive the community has been. I chose to run for the open Board position to not only give back to the community but also to help build on the successes. As a trail runner I could see myself promoting this sport to beginners and youth interested in the benefits of running and community. I personally have been a Big Brother and volunteered as a youth sports coach. I enjoy working with youth and feel that running can be a great way to teach and learn about many of the pillars we often hear about in the community.
5: How do I get motivated to run? Seize the day! I am rarely not motivated to run. Having goals and stacking habits are two keys’ to maintaining motivation and “getting out the door”.