Bill Sycalik, Vice President

Why I joined: I got introduced to members the club when I was visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on my project to run a marathon in all 63 U.S. National Parks (www.runningtheparks.com). I found them to be fabulous and fun and they even gave me the honor of being the keynote speaker during one of their annual meetings. Long story short, I recently moved to Montrose and reconnected with the club. I am excited about the recent growth and look forward to exploring the area with new friends.

What I love about SJMR: The welcoming attitude to all

Favorite Race Distance: 50K - more than a marathon but not that much more….

Favorite Race: Défi International Val-de-Travers Trail de l'Absinthe in Couvet, Switzerland. I was in Switzerland for work and decided to stay a few extra days to explore. I did some quick research and found this multi-distance trail race. I drove to Couvet the day before and signed up in person for the marathon. It was my first international race but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it is being held any more. I encourage everyone to try to find a local race when traveling. So much fun.

Best running memory: Crossing the finish line of my first marathon, the Detroit Marathon in 2004, and thinking to myself, “Oh, I can do so much better than that” and getting hooked on running!