Class of 2016

Valerie Bachmann

Valerie Bertrand Bachmann came to Knoxville and The University of Tennessee track and field program in 1986 from Long Island, New York attracted by the Lady Vols reputation and the warmer weather.

At UT under the coaching of former Olympian Missy Kane she teamed with KTC Hall of Fame member, Jasmine Keller and Patty Wiegand to propel the UT cross-country team to second in the SEC and sixth at the NCAA Championship in 1989. Valerie earned All-SEC and All-America cross-country honors that season running a PR of 17:24 at the NCAA Championships in Annapolis, Maryland (1989).

In track and field, Valerie helped Tennessee to five top-10 NCAA finishes and six top-3 SEC finishes, including an NCAA Indoor team runner-up effort in 1987 and a sixth-place individual NCAA Outdoor finish in 1989 (800 – 2:04) and eighth place finish in 1990 (2:04).

Individually, Bertrand Bachmann won the SEC indoor title in the 800 meters as a senior (1990). Valerie ran a leg on UT’s SEC Indoor champion 4x800m relay in 1988 and 1990. Her 1989 4X800 was NCAA runner-up. Valerie earned All-America honors in 1988, 1989, and 1990. She made the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1990.

In 2009 Valerie Bachmann was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.

Valerie’s running accomplishments did not end with her graduation from UT in 1991. Bachmann became a member of the Knoxville Track Club since 1991. She has continued to compete since then in literally hundreds of local races. Representing the Runners Market racing team, Valerie has won or finished in the top female finishers in most every race in the open (years ago) or masters divisions (currently) although she says she runs for the enjoyment of it. She has best times of 18:01 on roads for 5k, 3:07 for the marathon (Columbus 1996), 3:22 Grandmas Marathon 2012 as a masters, 10k Eastman Kodak 38:07 (1993). She was a KTC Grand Prix winner in the mid 90’s and has finished in the top 10 in the Grand Prix Series standings for numerous years as an open and masters runner.

Valerie converted her husband Jay, a former University of Iowa football player, to competitive running and both Valerie and Jay have been regular volunteers at KTC events through the years. Valerie and Jay directed the Millhouse 15k road race in both 2003 and 2004. Valerie has also been a parent volunteer assisting the coach for the Cedar Bluff Middle School cross country teams in 2013 and 2014.

Valerie and Jay have two children Kenton (16) and Ellie, (13). She has been an elementary school teacher at Maynard Elementary School for the last ten years.

Bob Barber

Bob Barber placed second in the state of Illinois cross-country championships in 1962 in an age when there was only one class of schools in the entire state. In the spring of 1963 Barber was ranked 8th in the U.S. by Track and Field News for the high school boys three mile run in 15:15 (Jim Ryun was ranked #3 in 14:53).

Bob entered UT in 1963 in Chuck Rohe’s second recruiting class. Freshmen were not eligible in those days, but in Bob’s four year class at UT they won 11 of the 12 SEC team championships in XC, Indoor and Outdoor track. The one they did not win, they did not compete due to a scheduling conflict with the NCAA Championships. Bob was a member of the KTC cross-country team that finished third in the nation at the National USTFF Cross-Country Championships in 1963. He was a member of the UT varsity XC team that won that same National USTFF Cross-Country Championship in 1964. Bob was on the UT team that finished 3rd at the 1965 NCAA Cross-Country Championships, the highest team finish for a UT track or XC team at that point in their history. Bob was a member of the UT track team that swept the SEC indoor and outdoor titles all four years—the UT team finished tied for 5th at the 1967 NCAA Track & Field Championships.

After graduation Barber served in the U.S. Army for two years. He was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device and two Purple Hearts while serving as an infantryman in Vietnam.

Most of Bob’s professional career was as the Eastern Region Marketing and Sales Manager for Brunswick Billiards. Bob was unable to train properly or compete while working but after retiring at age 58 he went to the Sea Ray Relays, got inspired, lost 20 pounds, and began to training for master’s competition.

Some highlights of Barber’s master’s running career include:

• U.S. Track and Field (USATF) National Masters Indoor Champion, 2006: 1st Place in the mile run and the 3,000M (60-64), Reggie Lewis Center, Boston
• USATF National Masters Outdoor Champion, 2006: 1st Place in the 2,000M steeplechase (American Record) and 2nd Place in the 10k (60-64), Charlotte, NC Barber’s time was the fourth best in the world in 2006
• USATF Masters National 5k Cross-Country Championships, 2006: 1st Place in 18:45 (60-64), Saratoga, NY
• USATF Masters National 8k Cross-Country Championships, 2007: 2nd Place (60-64), Boulder, CO
• USATF Masters National Outdoor Track and Field, 2007: 1st Place in the 2,000M steeplechase and 2nd Place in the 10k (60-64), Orono, ME
• USATF Masters National 8k Cross-Country Championships, 2008: 5th Place (60-64), San Diego, CA
• At the age of 63, Bob ran a 1500M race in 5:00.4, a time which ranked fourth in the U.S. for men aged 60-64 at the end of that year

Bob surrendered to a hip-replacement in 2009. When he retired from his five years of KTC and national competition he held 38 Tennessee single-age state records in distances ranging from the mile to the 30k.

Bob was a KTC board member for over three years, the last 15 months serving as KTC Treasurer. During that time he proposed and directed the KTC gift of installing the quarter-mile markers on all the City of Knoxville and Knox County greenways. Bob and his great volunteer crew accomplished this labor intensive project over a period of about three years, and their effort is appreciated by runners daily as they run the routes, perform their intervals, and total their mileage based on these markers.

In 2008 Bob’s vision of a KTC Hall of Fame came to fruition with the first induction in February 2009. Bob chaired the KTC Hall of Fame Induction Dinners in 2009, 2011, and 2014.

Bob enjoys volunteering for the youth events, serves as a volunteer KTC coach in the Knoxville Youth Runs program at Christenberry Elementary, and is a volunteer official with the KTC/Tennessee Track and Field Officials organization. In 2016 he rejoined the Board of Directors.

Missy Kane Bemiller

Missy (Alston) Kane grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated from Saint Cecilia Academy. Although she never played high school sports, upon entering the University of Tennessee in 1973, she walked on the newly formed Lady Vol cross country and track team. As a vital member of the squad, she later was named captain and earned her Undergraduate Degree in Physical Education from Tennessee.

After graduating from Tennessee she taught High School and coached Volleyball, Cross Country and Track for four years but found herself back at UT in 1982 to pursue her master’s degree in exercise physiology. She jumped back on the track going to her first USA National Championship in 1983 and finishing 3rd in the 1500m. That summer she was 6th at the World University Games and won a Bronze medal in the Pan American Games in Venezuela.

1984 brought the USA Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. She had never dreamed of even going to the trials but after two rounds she found herself in the finals and ran her best time of 4:06 for the 1500m (4:25 equivalent for a mile). Missy finished as the first alternate and got a call a week later explaining that distance great Mary Decker decided to forgo the 1500m for the 3,000m meters and that Missy was on the U.S. team. She ran in the semifinals and missed the finals by one spot.

She returned to Tennessee Athletics, coaching cross country and track for four seasons and was named Southeastern Conference Cross-Country Coach of the Year in 1990, as her team won the SEC title and finished 6th in the NCAA Championships.

Locally, Missy won the Expo 10k in 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1987, and the Expo 5k in 1998. In 1986, her 16:17 time at Fireball was good not only for a win but a state record, a record that stood for almost thirty years! She also continued her excellence on the track, logging a 4:06.6 1500m, a 2:05 800m, and a 9:07 3000m. Her 16:07 won the Gatorade 5k, and her 33:18 was good for a top ten finish in the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans.

Professionally, she also worked for NBC television at WBIR in Knoxville for more than 12 years, and was the first female sports anchor in East Tennessee when she anchored weekend sports from 1990-91. She went on to work as a track and field TV commentator for Fox Sports for 19 years while covering the SEC indoor and outdoor track and field championships and worked for NBC sports at the 1987 Track and Field World Championships in Rome, Italy.

Missy has channeled her passion for people and fitness into helping thousands in the East Tennessee Region by developing numerous successful programs as the Health Promotions Coordinator for Covenant Health. “Get on Track”, “Get on the Trails with Missy and Friends”, and producing her PBS show, “Missy Kane Fit and Fun” are just a few of her successful initiatives. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Physical Fitness Award for her work in the East Tennessee community as she helped people gain better health through exercise. Her coaching advice has been featured in “Ask the Experts” in Runner’s World magazine.

Through”Get on Trails with Missy and Friends,” she has guided hikes on thousands of miles to encourage East Tennesseans to live a healthy lifestyle. Meanwhile, her work with Legacy Parks has helped raise awareness of and support for Knoxville greenways.

She was inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, the Tennessee Lady Vol Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

All this is in addition to the countless hours she spends supporting local charities and community groups as a host, keynote speaker, and friend, supporting the phrase she’s become well known for repeating to anyone who will listen “life is more fun when you’re fit.”

She is married to Jim Bemiller a professor at the University of Tennessee. They have two daughters, Kelsey Kane, a former Lady Vol track athlete, and Gracie Bemiller, a sophomore and standout swimmer at West High School.

Bobby Glenn

Bobby Glenn has been involved with KTC for forty years as an outstanding runner, energetic volunteer, race director, and club executive.

He ran track at Gresham MS from 1975-1976 (2:13 880 best in 1976 as an 8th grader), then ran cross-country and track at Central HS in Knoxville from 1976-1979, and was a member of the state championship 4×800 (7:48) in 1979. Bobby also ran cross-country and track at UT Knoxville 1979-1981.

Bobby started running KTC races in 1976 when Hal and Ginny Canfield organized races for the club. In those days they ran a 20k and even a 30k, all on Cherokee Blvd. He also ran KTC summer track meets in the summers.

He participated in the first Expo 10k in 1978, as well as many Expos over the years, and had a streak of 11 top 10 finishes at Expo from 1987-1997, with a best finish of 2nd overall.

Bobby’s personal bests include:

• 800m – 1:58.5
• Mile – 4:28
• 2 Mile – 9:25
• 5k – 15:02
• 8k – 25:20
• 10k – 31:44
• 15k – 49:27
• 10M – 54:20
• Half Marathon – 1:13:30
• Marathon – 2:40:05

In addition to a fine running career, Bobby was integrally involved in coaching and directing youth programming for the club and the community.

• KTC’s Summer Youth Program site director 1988-1990
• KTC Competitive Team Director 1991-1997
• KTC Fall Cross Country Site Director 1992 – 1996
• Took KTC teams to Nationals in New Orleans, Des Moines, Gainesville, Cleveland, Joplin MO, as well as many Association and Regional meets
• Coached Gresham Middle School Cross-Country in KTC and later KYA fall cross country program 2009-
• He’s also been volunteer Coach Central High School Cross Country/Distance 1987-1992 with 2 runners winning multiple state championships, setting 3 school records which still stand, with one runner advancing to Foot Locker finals in San Diego.

Bobby has been Race Director Big South Fork Trail Runs in each of its 23 years since 1994, as well as the Treadin’ Trodden Trails Dark Hollow Wallow trail race for each of its five years. He’s served as race director for several other KTC events over the years. In 2009 Bobby joined KTC’s Trail Committee and has served on the KTC Board of Directors twice, from 1988-1994 and 2011-2012.

In January 2013 Bobby stepped in as KTC Interim Executive Director, serving in that capacity from January to March, at which point he was hired as full-time Director through November 2014.

For the 10 years from about 1997-2007, he dropped back from most activities except Big South Fork, concentrating on the family’s two young children and dealing with a job that was quite all encompassing.

In recent years his running has strictly been for fun and non-competitive, with a preference these days for trail running (despite bad ankles!)

He’s been married to wife Mary Nelle for 24 years and counting. They have two girls (Kinsey and Sidney) who are both at UT Chattanooga.

Mike Marchant

Mike is a KTC key volunteer whose contributions to the club span decades, starting with his involvement with the club in the 1980s.

He served on the Board of Directors for twelve years, including nine years in service as the club Treasurer. For eight years he served as Race Director for the venerable Wears Valley 15k and volunteered at countless other races.

In 1995 Mike was presented with the illustrious Ginny Canfield Memorial Service award, epitomizing the KTC volunteer who best represent the wonderful tradition of volunteerism that has made KTC so great for so many years.

In addition to his leadership and volunteer service contributions, Mike also participated in 28 marathons including the Boston Marathon. He logged a marathon PR of 3:01 at age 42. He was the overall winner in the Charlotte 50k race and a top ten finisher in each of the other three ultras he ran. Mike also placed first in the 50 and over age group three consecutive years in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. He was a top ten finisher in the KTC Grand Prix and represented the club admirably in hundreds of KTC and regional races.

Mike is now retired after 25 years in nursing home administration with Hillcrest Medical Nursing Institute Inc. He still makes his home here in Knoxville.

Wendy Williams

A record is kept of State of Tennessee single-age state running records on staterunningrecords.com. Wendy Williams at one point in time had close to forty state records. Today she still holds 29 state running records at various distances, records established over a great many years of competing.

Some of Wendy’s most impressive records that are still standing today include:

• 1990 at age 57, 4-mile in 27:07
• 1991 at age 58, 5k in 20:58
• 1991 at age 58, 15k in 1:07:04
• 1991 at age 58, half marathon in 1:38:13
• 1997 at age 64, 1-mile in 6:48
• 1999 at age 67, Memphis Marathon in 4:04:07

As impressive as her state records are, Wendy’s history of volunteering at KTC events is even more impressive. Wendy has been volunteering for every sort of KTC race and function for years and years. Besides working at KTC races, Wendy has been a member of the Tennessee/KTC Track & Field Officials Association for many years. She has helped officiate many Vol Classic meets and Sea Ray Relay meets.

Wendy, who resides in Oak Ridge, was recognized for her achievements when she was inducted into the Anderson County Hall of Fame in 2010.

Kathy Wolski

Kathy was involved in a variety of sports, but despite getting a later start in running, she led her Farragut high school team to a cross country State championship her senior year. She went onto compete as a Lady Vol in cross country and track and field, but circumstances due to father’s untimely death cut short her collegiate athletic career. She moved ahead to pursue her degree, and with a strong academic background in Biochemistry was able to launch a profession in the pharmaceutical industry, eventually leading to a successful 20-plus year career in the competitive medical industry. Competitive racing was once again on hold.

Kathy resumed running competitively in her later 30’s and qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Marathon Trials. She raced multiple distances as part of the Atlanta Track Club, while maintaining a demanding work schedule, and eventually starting a family with her husband Dave. They moved back to Knoxville in 2005 to raise their family and Kathy quickly became a part of the local running community.

Today she is one of the elite masters runners in the Nation, proudly representing the Knoxville Track Club and Runners Market locally. She presently holds 46 state single-age records at every distance from 1500m to the marathon. Her most daunting masters achievements have been in the longer races, where she has either placed as top overall female or masters in most every marathon in which she has competed. In 2008, just weeks after having her third child, she placed third overall in the Knoxville Marathon. She followed that up with remarkable first place performances in 2009, 2010, and 2011, with a finish time of 2:57. She came back with second place finishes in 2013 and 2014. At the age of 50 Kathy isn’t slowing down- she posted an impressive 2:57 at USA Marathon Masters Championships last season, placing 6th overall in the nation.

Kathy strives to give back to the running community as much as she has personally gained from it. She turned her professional focus away from the corporate world to raise her family, and has coached cross country and track for several years. She is also currently teaching physical education and Wellness at the elementary and middle school level. She is involved in the organizational side of running as well, and has been a race director since 2012.

Just a few highlights of her masters racing career include:

• US Marathon Trials qualifier competitor (2000)
• USA 25k Masters National Champion (2008)
• Knoxville Marathon 3-time consecutive winner (2009, 2010, 2011)
• World Master Championships (2012): marathon age group champion and USA team (gold)
• Top masters performances in multiple US marathons including Rocket City and Columbus
• KTC Grand Prix awards winner (2007, 2008, 2009, 2014)
• Placed consistently in top 8 overall in USATF Masters Marathon Championships (2008-2015)
• 2014 USATF Outdoor National Championships: 1500m and 5000m 2nd overall, 1st age group
• 2015 USATF Indoor Track and Field SE Region 1500m and 3000m champion
• 2015 USATF Indoor Track and Field Nationals 1500m, 5000m, 4×800, 4×400 age group champion
• 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships- 2nd place 1500m, 5000m. 1st place 4x 800, 4x 400 1st age group

Kathy’s boundless enthusiasm and support of her fellow runners is always a welcome site on the course, and her performance is a constant motivation for those who follow her footsteps, including her children age 8, 11, and 15.

John Young

John Young came to Knoxville to go to the Universtity of Tennessee out of Manchester, TN in 1981. While in High School, John was a Tennessee State Cross Country Champion in 1980 and the 3200 Meter State Champion in a state record 9:17 time in 1981. He began running in the 6th grade.

John attended the University of Tennessee during glorious years. While running at UT from 1981 to 1986, UT won 15 straight SEC Championships (Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor). John was a 6 year letterman at UT (might be only one ever). In 1985, UT finished 3rd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 1986 John was the first to be honored as the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

During the late 1980’s and 1990’s there was no one who dominated the state racing scene like John Young. John began to run and win a few area road races while in college and then took a job and has lived in Knoxville since. It’s hard to count the number of road races that John won during the 80’s and 90’s. During a six year span between 1990 and 1996, John won 82 of the 101 road races he entered. He was in the top 3 in all but three of those races. During his career, he won well over 150 road races and countless track and cross country races while in high school and college.

John won more than 50 KTC races, as well the Grand Prix points championship at least five times. He set numerous state age records while competing. He still holds seven of those records twenty years later, including the course records at Strawberry Plains Half (1:08:34) and Big South Fork (1:50:40). He won Expo, he won Fireball, he won them all.

John’s personal bests include:

• 1500M – 3:56
• 5k – 14:18
• 8k – 23:38
• 10k – 29:39
• 15k – 48:11
• Half Marathon – 1:08:34

John stopped running competitively around the year 2000 but still runs for health reasons. He ran to and from work (5 miles each way) for about 6 years at one point. He kept detailed records and has run 86,353 miles (including a peak year of 3501!) through 2015 despite battles with hamstring issues.