Mike started running long distance races in 2012 with a NY's Resolution to finish a half marathon. He was soon hooked, logging over 22,000 miles since then and reaching for his goals of qualifying for Boston/NYC/Chicago, running a 50 miler, and a sub-3:00 marathon (2:54). Having been helped by pacers himself, he appreciates the opportunity to return the favor by bringing his running zeal and experience to bear in helping you achieve your running goals.

1:35 SmartPace Teams

Matt O. - 1:35 pacer

Matt started running cross country in high school after getting cut from the soccer team, and quickly fell in love with distance running. The camaraderie of group runs, the calm of a long solo run, and the thrill of racing are all integral parts of Matt's life. Matt has been a distance runner for 25 years, building up from 5k's to marathons and a couple ultras (not too many of those though!) Matt has completed over 90 half marathons and close to 80 marathons, and has paced over three dozen events. He is looking forward to helping people meet their goals as a pacer!

1:40 SmartPace Teams

Zach B. - 1:40 pacer

Zach started running long distance in 8th grade track. After running in high school and then college for two years, in 2008 he swore he would never do a marathon. Now 30 marathons/ultras later, he can't get enough of it! Even though he continues to race, he prefers pacing runners much more. He loves seeing runners accomplish their goals and dig deeper than they knew possible.

1:45 SmartPace Teams

Nam A. - 1:45 pacer

Nam started running back high school and he has been enjoying it ever since. He has ran countless 5ks, 10ks, half marathons and 5 full marathons to date. He has also done 3 triathlons. He enjoys runnning with others and making friends along way. He looks forward to making new friends and helping them achieve their goals

1:50 SmartPace Teams

Carrie G. - 1:50 pacer

Carrie ran her first half marathon at Longview Lake in November of 2021. She surprised herself with a decent time so she decided to keep going and push herself! She’s found a group of friends to do long runs with, who encouraged her to do her first marathon in spring 2023. It woke the competitive spirit so she’s done 7 more fulls since then and has 4 more on the schedule for 2025. Her PR is 3:29:10 in Duluth, MN 2024 (Grandma’s Marathon). She loves to chat while she runs and tell jokes and even sing a little when she can. Carrie is currently training for her first Boston Marathon on April 21, 2025. Looking forward to motivating runners to new PRs and personal goals while providing as much entertainment as possible 😀.

1:55 SmartPace Teams

Chris L. - 1:55 pacer

Chris has run distances from track events to marathons. He has paced several marathons in KS, MO and NE and has paced many half-marathons as well. Up until collage all the running he did was for other sports. In collage he really began to grow attached to the sport and competed in XC and track. After collage running became a part of his daily routine. He enjoys helping others achieve their goals and creating a healthy lifestyle. He is an elementary reading specialist and coaches XC.

2:00 SmartPace Teams

Lynn K. - 2:00 pacer

Running for more than 35 years including 53 marathons with 5 of those Boston Marathons. Have helped successfully pace several Half Marathoners in the 2:00-2:10 finish times and for many individuals striving to finish a race or a specific goal. Really enjoy the social aspect of running and take every opportunity to promote the participation in racing. I really enjoy encouraging other runners. I am the race director for the Pistol Pete 5K/10K race in Perkins. I will not only pace but give advice and encourage you during the race to make for a successful day!

2:05 SmartPace Teams

Kevin G. - 2:05 pacer

Kevin is a half marathon pacing coach at Fleet Feet Tulsa who began running in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. After running his first half marathon in 2:28:03 in December 2020, he managed to trim nearly 45 minutes off his time in 16 months to achieve his current PR of 1:43:27. Kevin ran his first marathon in June 2023, completing Grandma's Marathon in 3:49:02 while achieving a negative split. This will mark his 10th half marathon as a pacer — including his fourth Stilly Half — and 24th half marathon overall.

2:10 SmartPace Teams

Michael D. - 2:10 pacer

Michael discovered running on the way to recovering a healthy lifestyle several years ago. In 2017 he ran his first 1/2 marathon and fell in love with the miles. From there he went on to race or run at least a couple marathons each year and multitudes of 1/2 marathons. He is know for his joyful smile, playful banter, cheesy singing, cart wheel finishes and love for running and runners and finds great joy in encouraging and cheering others to successful completions in their races. Loud proud and ready to run!

2:15 SmartPace Teams

Ray C. - 2:15 pacer

Ray started running at the age of 30 to lose a few pounds and be in better health. After a year of a mile here and there he decided to sign up for his first race, a half marathon, and has been hooked ever since. He has completed several half marathons and will complete his first marathon this fall. His favorite thing about running is the camaraderie between runners and how helpful they are with each other in order to achieve their goals. He is looking forward to helping you achieve your goals, whether that be completing your first race, setting a new PR, or just enjoying a run with good company.

2:20 SmartPace Teams

Marie G. - 2:20 pacer

Marie got into running in 2020 during the pandemic. She ran her first half marathon in April 2021, and has raced multiple half marathons and one marathon since. As a registered nurse, she is always seeking to understand the most healthy and efficient ways to improve her running. Marie also enjoys the community aspect of running. She is looking forward to encouraging other runners and helping them reach their goals.

2:25 SmartPace Teams

Aron M. - 2:25 pacer

Aron started running several years ago lose weight and stay healthy. Did his first half and it went from there completing over 60 half marathons, 7 marathons, and 9 Ultra marathons. The distance is what drives. Pacing is a great opportunity to return the help he got over the years from more experienced runners. Cant wait to see you out there and hep you get a PR!

2:30 SmartPace Teams

Tom M. - 2:30 pacer

Tom ran track and cross-country in high school and mostly 10K’s during and after college. After a couple decades of work and family obligations his physician told him to exercise. Running was familiar and races provided measures of progress. He’s run over 40 marathons, including Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, and London along with local marathons, half marathons, 10 and 5K’s. He experienced the advantages of the SmartPacing system and is delighted to share that with you, whether this is a first race, a PR attempt, or a comeback race. He will ease you into an efficient pace, going slow in uphills and faster in downhills, along with strategic walk breaks at aid stations. He’ll encourage you, distract you, and entertain you to your goal. He has paced numerous races over several years and enjoyed helping runners achieve their goals.

2:35 SmartPace Teams

Kelly P. - 2:35 pacer

Kelly has been pacing half and full marathons since 2009. She follows the Smart Pacing philosophy - starting out slow to warm up, taking it easy on the uphills, taking advantage of the downhills, and walking through every aid station to fully hydrate. She is fully focused on helping each runner achieve their race goal while having fun along the way. Her goal is to have her runners cross the finish line ahead of her with a smile on their face!

2:40 SmartPace Teams

Brian J. - 2:40 pacer

Brian began his running career in 2007 by walking the OKC Memorial Half Marathon. Since that time, he has completed more than 300 events of 13.1 miles or longer. He is a dyed in the wool middle to back of the pack'er and dedicated to getting others of that ilk to the finish line. His running motto is, "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!"

2:45 SmartPace Teams

Allyson H. - 2:45 pacer

Allyson has paced over thirty-five races. Her favorite distance is the half marathon. She loves listening to runners' stories and hearing why people decide to run. While not running she is an accountant, Army wife, and mom to two boys while running a half marathon in every state.

Sarah N. - 2:45 pacer

Sarah is a mother of 4 boys, 2 of which will run with her sometimes. She has always liked running and became disciplined in her running in 2022. Since then she has ran over a dozen half marathons and her first marathon. Sarah has used pacers and loved the motivation and help from them. She decided to pace to be apart of helping others achieve their goals.

2:50 SmartPace Teams

Amy K. - 2:50 pacer

Losing a parent at a young age from Heart Disease to fighting obesity I have found a love for running and triathlons. From barely able to walk down the hall without feeling out of breath to running half and full marathons and participating in triathlons I have gotten years of my life back. I enjoy supporting and empowering others along my journey. If you want to succeed make a plan, set a goal and put one foot in front of the other. Anything is possible.

2:55 SmartPace Teams

Mary G. - 2:55 pacer

Mary found a love for running with her local running club in Little Rock, AR. Before long she found herself not just enjoying a beer with them but running races with them. Mary has done some fun races like the nighttime Dam Run and a few mud run 5Ks. She really didn’t get into half marathons until she moved to Kansas in 2010. Motivated by a goal to lose baby weight and take her twins on a Disney adventure, Mary and her husband finished The Goofy Challenge at Disney in Florida in January 2016. Hooked on Challenges, they signed up for the Gauntlet Challenge and Coast to Coast Challenge that same November at Disney in California. They’ve signed up for the Heartland 39.3 Challenges pretty much every year after that. They also enjoyed the Sweet 16 Series in KC while it lasted. Mary has also recently tried out the Heartland 30K Series. After befriending another pacer and hearing how rewarding pacing is, Mary wanted to try it and help out others with their race.

3:00 SmartPace Teams

Rebecca H. - 3:00 pacer

Rebecca started running in 2009 because she had always been in awe of runners' athleticism. Soon after she had to take a year off due to a twin pregnancy, but managed to complete her first half marathon by their first birthday. Today she has three children, but still has completed many halves, several marathons, and a few ultras. She loves talking running and encouraging others, and hopes to see you at the race.

JJ T. - 3:00 pacer

JJ started running while in Junior High School. After High School, he continued to run local races during the summer running local 5k's and 10k's. In the spring of 2010, JJ had made the transition into running half marathons. He ran several half marathons before running his first marathon in June of 2012. During 2012 and 2013, he got his first taste of pacing by pacing several races in Minnesota. He also made the transition into Ultramarathons when he ran his first 50k in October of 2013. JJ enjoys running a number of different races from 5k's to 10k's with his running partner Daisy to running marathons and 50k's. He always looks forward to running a fun, yet challenging race. JJ feels the best part of pacing is when he can either help a person achieve either a PR or finishing their first half.

The Garmin SmartPacing Team

fueled by Picky Bars

Real [Good] Food. Built To Fuel.

Create a free Chase Chart to help friends and family find you on the course based on your finish time.

after you race, please come back and leave comments about your pacer, and complete a survey to help us improve.

SmartPacing is organized by The Runners's Edge in Kansas City and The Runners's Edge of the Rockies in Denver, with support from Races2Remember.com.

In this section:

Our Upcoming Races

Words to run by

Meet your Pacers forBill Snyder Highway Half

Half Marathon SmartPace Teams

Mike B. - 1:30 pacer