Wisdom to guide you.

Emily Noble has been running marathons since 2005. She has completed marathons as a charity runner, a middle/back of the pack runner, a front of the pack runner, a master’s elite runner, an undertrained and just trying to finish runner, a negative split elated runner, a very sorry for going out too fast runner, and even, regrettably, a disappointed DNF runner. Emily served on the Twin Cities Marathon Association from 2012-2014. Over the years as a volunteer Emily has worked at the start line, finish line, water stops, information booths, finish line, worked a race expo, been a course monitor, planned awards, and served as a pacer. Emily is the past president of the Athens Road Runners Board and is the Director of the Athens Road Runners Racing Team.

Carole Black is owner of Classic Race Services. Carole has been involved with Classic Race Services for 20 years and owner for the past 13. She started running in her forties and ran her first (and only) marathon the year she turned 50! Carole is passionate about running and the running community. Although her running has turned to walking now, her passion is to support the running community through her work with Classic Race Services by providing exceptional race management and finish line services. She always encourages and welcomes new runners to the starting line and is there at the finish line cheering them on. We welcome you to the Classic City Marathon and we want you to "Have a good race and have a safe race"!

Steve Follin joined the ARR Board in 2022 and has been a long-time ARR member. He has been a runner for over four decades and has been pounding the pavement in Athens since 1984. His running experience includes 30+ marathons and Top 10 age group finishes at Boston and New York, as well as four consecutive age group wins at the Myrtle Beach Marathon. In 2021, Steve was one of several co-winners of ARR’s Grand Prix racing series. Before retiring in 2020, Steve was a management consultant advising Fortune 100 companies, governments and non-profit organizations, as well as serving on the boards of several non-profit organizations. Steve is very excited about ARR’s upcoming marathon in January 2024 and looking forward to helping to make it happen.

Anne Marcotte worked her way up to running a whole mile in 2011 -- and then she and her husband Steve ran the New York City Marathon together in 2014, when she was 50 years old. She has since run two more marathons, lots of halfs, and many smaller races, and she is starting to believe that she might actually be “a runner.” Anne served as a faculty member and department head at the University of Georgia for 27 years and currently works at Athens Technical College, while also providing private-practice speech-language therapy services for individual clients. She is helping the marathon committee with writing, marketing, and publicity.

Dr. Joe Colasurdo found his passion for running as a way to manage stress. Over the past decade, Dr. Joe has played an essential role as a medical volunteer in various races and marathons across the country. As a practicing podiatrist at 26 Foot & Ankle Watkinsville, his professional focus is on addressing a wide spectrum of sports-related injuries, ensuring athletes can pursue their passion safely and healthily. Dr. Joe's background in managing medical logistics and the medical logistic team's unwavering commitment to the well-being of athletes continues to drive successful and safe race operations.

Monica Huff is a proud Athenian and always tries to “Run with joy!” Monica has run 128 marathons and was the 4th woman ever to run a Boston Qualifying (BQ) marathon time in every state plus DC. To celebrate 20+ years of running, Monica ran a marathon per month in 2022 and has plans to run her 2nd ultra 58 mile race (Comrades) in South Africa in June of 2023.  Monica is a Cognitive Psychologist for the U.S. government and is the current President of Athens Road Runners. She cannot wait to welcome you to Athens and our spectacular running community!

Rachel Irwin is our director of Cheer Zones. As a former cheerleader herself and an accomplished marathon runner, Rachel knows a lot about both cheering and running! Email her if you would like to host a cheer zone at the Classic City Marathon!

Victoria Redmon has always had a love/hate relationship with running. She tends to find herself at the back of the pack smiling and sweating all the way to the finish line. Victoria moved to Athens, GA in 2021 to be with her husband, Worth, and currently serves as the Assistant Director for Student Transitions at UGA. Creating community and empowering women has always been one of her passions. She has been both a coach and Solemate fundraiser for Girls on the Run and in 2021-2022 served on the GOTR ATL Young Professionals Board. Victoria is also the woman behind Athens' newest running group, the Slow Girl Run Club (SGRC)! Check us out on Instagram @slowgrilrunclub_ath !

James Barlament is a Southeast Georgia native, but has lived in Athens for 25 years now. While he spends most of his time running just to keep up with his wife Chrissy and daughter Penny, James has varied success running all distances up to marathons and beyond. After earning two degrees from UGA, he has spent his career working in the public health and education fields, currently serving as the Executive Director of Innovation, Strategy and governance for the Clarke County School District. James loves the beautiful city of Athens and loves studying maps, and he combines these interests by leading the Course Committee for the Classic City Marathon Association. He hopes the courses show the city off in all its glory!

Lisa Patton is a dynamic personal trainer and running coach at Transfit Athens, a women’s training studio nestled in the vibrant 5 Points neighborhood. With a lifelong passion for sports, Lisa continued her athletic journey by playing college basketball and cross country. Today, she channels her energy into staying active with her four children and running, which she values for its mental health benefits and social opportunities. An accomplished runner, Lisa has completed numerous marathons and half-marathons, and in 2023, she joined the Athens Road Runners Racing Team. Most notably, she participated in the inaugural Classic City Marathon, showcasing her enduring dedication to her community and her sport.

Catherine Shinholser & her husband, Dustin, own Fleet Feet Athens and love being involved in the incredible running community. They have two young kids who can often be spotted with Catherine in the running stroller at races & group runs. Catherine taught elementary school for thirteen years and created/ coached several youth running clubs during that time. She has also been the director of the Athens Twilight 5K, kids run, and $1,000 mile for multiple years. Catherine has run many half and full marathons and loves the feeling of hard work paying off at a race. She is excited to create the ultimate post race experience for runners and their families at the finish line of the Classic City Marathon!

Dustin Shinholser is the director of our Expo committee. Dustin knows a thing or two about race expos. He puts the Lake Chapman 15k and 5k every year, and as the owner of Fleet Feet Athens he has been to quite a few race expos over the years. He knows what it is like to participate in a race expo from the vendor AND participant perspective!

Mandy Perry grew up playing all of the sports that involved running as the part of practice that wasn’t fun, but she learned to embrace running for mental health after college and has since made running for fun one of her main hobbies. From her involvement with 100 Mile Club to getting a “jumpy photo” at as many races as possible, enjoying virtual running communities, and running with different groups in Athens, Mandy now aims to run a great story by inspiring others to make it a fun run as much as possible.

Margaret Mosher is a member of Athens Road Runners. She works as a graphic designer for the UGA Athletic Association, helping to create the visual content for all 21 sports teams at UGA. She is also a lifelong painter and has worked as a freelance artist and muralist since 2015. She lives in Athens with her husband Paul and daughter Molly.

Tyra Byers is a sustainability specialist with over 20 years of experience in teaching sustainability at the University of Georgia. She is our committees director of sustainability and is helping us create an environmentally friendly race! Tyra is also one of the founding members of the Athens Road Runners!

Reese Walker holds an art degree from the University of Georgia and has a great sense of style! He runs with unbridled joy and races with enthusiastic abandon. Reese is co-director of the T shirt and design committee with his partner in fashion Chrissy Proctor.

Chrissy Proctor is a native of Danielsville, GA, which is just north of Athens. She grew up running on country roads and ran track and cross country in high school. She was a triple Dawg, earning her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the UGA College of Public Health. Chrissy is a highly successful road and trail runner, excelling at the marathon and half marathon distances. To date, she has run 16 marathons, including 5 Boston Marathons. She is a wealth of knowledge about training, nutrition, mental toughness, consistency, and resilience. She loves her home in Athens where she lives with her husband James and daughter Penny.

Kevin Burke is a professor of English Education at the University of Georgia. He's been running marathons--at wildly different paces--for over twenty years. He's thrilled to get to build a race with friends to showcase the city of Athens.

Tammy Gilland is the executive director of philanthropy at Piedmont Medical. She is a marathon runner, a running enthusiast, and a HUGE DAWGS fan!!!

Michael Marshall is a member of Athens Road Runners and enjoys running both on the road and on trails. After racing Division III track and cross-country in college, he took a hiatus from running in his 30’s and 40’s, and has now returned, racing in events from the mile to ultra-marathons. He came to Athens in 2001 and works as a Professor of Art at the University of Georgia.

Dennis Revell is a long time runner and board member of the Athens Road Runners. Many people in Athens credit Dennis with encouraging them to stick with running and try to run a marathon! Dennis participates in just about every race in town.

Griffin and Macy Clabaugh are our tag team duo in charge of all signage for the Classic City Marathon weekend. You may also recognize them from our promotional materials. They are just so darn photogenic!

Greg Waddell has loved running since age 12 and has a ~50 year career as a competitive runner and triathlete. He has completed 74 marathons and 2 Ironman triathlons as well as 25+ triathlons at distances from sprint to half-ironman. Greg has served as a pacer for MarathonPacing.com for over 10 years and has helped many a runner get to the finish line! Greg is also an awesome running coach! On game day, he and his wife Dee Waddell have the best tailgate in town (Dee will be hosting a cheer zone). GO DAWGS!

Glen Anderson is a middling long-distance runner in the Athens Road Runner community. He enjoys group runs that have beer and will waste most of a beautiful morning sitting on Hendershots’ porch yammering. He has completed several notable events of various distances. He is hoping that you use the WARM and DRY vans to move about the city on race day.