Ethan Coffey

Since moving to Knoxville in 2009 for a job as a research engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Navy Veteran Ethan Coffey has been the dominant male runner in the Knoxville Track Club. A regular top-3 finisher in races of all distances, Ethan has been the overall winner of more than 50 KTC road racing events, including the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. As a result, Ethan is consistently at the top of the annual KTC Grand Prix, including taking home the overall Grand Prix title in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018.

Ethan’s outstanding performances range the breadth of distances including personal bests:

  • 1 mile 4:26
  • 5k 15:08
  • 8k 24:51
  • 10k 31:05
  • 15k 49:16
  • 10 mile 51:07
  • Half marathon 1:07:06
  • Marathon 2:19:34
  • 50k 2:53:32

He currently holds eight Tennessee State records at distances including 1 mile, 8k, 10 mile, 30k, and marathon. Nationally, he has competed at USATF championships at 10k, 10 miles, half marathon, marathon, and 50k, winning the road 50k national title in 2014. He finished 10th overall at the prestigious JFK 50 Miler in 2011 in his only attempt at the distance. He was also the captain of the KTC team that set the “Ultra” record at the Blue Ridge Relay and was a member of three KTC Hood to Coast Relay teams, including the 2011 winning team.

Ethan is also active in other aspects of the KTC. A long time volunteer, Ethan spent years as a member of the Road Race Committee. He is a trained course measurer and continuously volunteers his time to certify our KTC race courses, having measured over 20 KTC courses for certification. These efforts keep our venues viable for qualification and record purposes. Ethan also spent five years as captain of the Trooper’s Running Team, which finished in the top 5 in the KTC Team Competition each year they competed, with the women’s team winning the team competition in 2013.

Bobby Holcombe

Bobby Holcombe is deeply involved with the Knoxville running community and one of the KTC’s longest tenured members. Bobby began regularly running locally after he left the Marine Corps, and his accomplishments with the KTC are numerous.

Bobby’s running achievements are numerous. From 1997 – 2011 he was a force to be reckoned with, participating in over 200 running events during that time. His accomplishments during that period include:

  • 3 x Tennessee State age records between two distances (4 mile, 15k)
  • Consistent top-10 finishes at races of all distances, including overall race wins for 75 events (including 28 KTC overall wins)
  • Overall KTC Grand Prix winner in 1999 and 2001
  • Competed in eight USATF National Events
  • Competed in four Boston Marathons

Bobby’s personal best race times include:

  • 1 mile 4:19
  • 5k 14:53
  • 10k 31:11
  • 15k 48:25
  • Half Marathon 1:09:52
  • Marathon 2:37:07

Bobby worked with Eddie Reymond to start the KTC team competition, where Bobby was the Runner’s Market Team Captain for many years. As team Captain, Runners Market won 8 Open Division and 4 Women’s Division titles.

Bobby has also been a solid volunteer with the KTC. His contributions include three years of service on the KTC Board of Directors, three years on the Long Distance Committee, serving as Race Director for 15 KTC road and trail races, and coaching the KTC cross country youth program from 2007 – 2012. He still averages volunteering at 3 – 5 races every year.

Bobby continues to be one of Knoxville’s leading running advocates. He is the owner and head coach of Knoxville Endurance (KE), with his athletes participating in KTC events all year long. Amongst the accomplishments his athletes achieved include 138 x Boston Qualifiers and 1 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier. KE is a regular sponsor of KTC events, including the Knoxville Marathon.

Since 2014, Bobby has been the head track and cross country coach at the Webb School of Knoxville. In this role he has led the program to:

  • Boys team to State Championships in cross country in 2014, 2015, and 2016
  • Girls team to State Championships in cross country in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
  • 17 x Individual State Champions in cross country, track, and relay events
  • 3 x Footlocker Finalists
  • 1 x Footlocker All America
  • 5 x Prep Extra Runner of the Year
  • Named as the Prep Extra Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018
  • Named as Metro Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2017

Alan Horton

Alan Horton, originally from Maryville, TN has been a stalwart in the Knoxville running community for the past 25 years. Alan spent years regularly finishing in the top-3 in races of all distances, including more than 20 overall wins in KTC races. He is regularly at the top of the KTC Grand Prix, including overall wins in 2006, 2011, and 2017.

Alan has represented the KTC in races all across the country, including his qualification for and participation in the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials. He also finished 25th overall (of 21,498 finishers) in the 2008 Boston Marathon. He was recognized by Outside Magazine in 2009 as one of the America’s top-5 Fittest Real Athletes and was on the 2011 KTC Hood-To-Coast Championship team. He has been a member of the Runner’s Market Racing Team since 2003.

Alan’s outstanding performances range the breadth of distances including personal bests:

  • 1 mile 4:20
  • 5k 14:36
  • 8k 24:30
  • 5 mile 25:02
  • 10k 30:30
  • 15k 47:59
  • Half marathon 1:07:54
  • Marathon 2:21:58

He currently holds four Tennessee State records at distances including 1 mile, 10 mile, half marathon, and marathon.

Outside of running, Alan is one of the nation’s premier triathletes, competing in Ironman World Championships 2016, Half Ironman World Championships 2017, and ITU Word Championships 2018. A six time USAT Age Group All American, Alan’s accomplishments include an overall victory at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, top three finishes at USA national championships, and finishing 7th at the International Triathlon Union World Championships. He competed locally for Team Health Shoppe ZenEvo before joining the national triathlon team of Every Man Jack. He also coaches triathlon and running for Knoxville Endurance, helping others achieve their multisport goals.

Alan is a longtime volunteer at KTC events. He can be seen regularly out on run courses handing out water, cheering participants, and directing runners in the right direction. He continues to give back to the running community and provides an example for others to aspire to.

Dick Ledyard

From 1994 to 1997 Dick Ledyard was on the KTC Board of Directors and served as Membership Chair. From 1992 to 1997 Dick supervised the finish line at several KTC events, including the Springfest 5k and several Smoky Mountain Marathons in Townsend. During that period Dick probably helped in at least 20 road races a year, working water stops, being a road marshal, and calling out splits for which he received multiple KTC jackets and awards of recognition.

Dick Ledyard has been an outstanding representative of the Knoxville Track Club as a nationally ranked USATF Collegiate Official. Dick has been working as an Official since 1992, assisting in every venue of the sport at one time or another. The KTC officials have been ranked as an elite group nationally and Dick has been a prime contributor to that reputation. Five times he has been the Lead Umpire at the SEC Outdoor T&F Championships; three times at the University of Tennessee, once at the University of Georgia, and once at the University of Missouri. The SEC is the most prestigious Collegiate Conference in the U.S. in track and field, and only the top officials are selected for their Conference meets, particularly as Lead Officials.

Dick has been the Lead Umpire for almost every event at the University of Tennessee for the last 15 years. Around the country Dick has been selected to umpire at one NCAA Division I Outdoor Final, four NCAA Regional Outdoor Finals, two NCAA Division I Indoor Finals, and multiple NCAA Division II and III Outdoor and Indoor Championships. These are elite meets that invite the best Officials from around the country.

Dick has also officiated at USATF national championships (USATF is the present governing body of U.S.A Track and Field, including Senior and Junior meets). Most recently he was the Lead Umpire at the 25th Annual Thorpe Cup competition between the U.S. and Germany held under IAAF (International) Rules. He has also officiated at two AAU Junior Olympic National Championships and at times at Regional AAU meets held in Knoxville.

The number of collegiate conference meets that Dick has officiated in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee are too numerous to mention.

Dick has assisted at 21 KTC Vol Classics over the past 27 years, and most of the Knoxville Interscholastic League Championships over the same period. He also helps with meets hosted at Hardin Valley Academy when he is available.

Marsha Morton

Marsha Morton holds one of the premier running histories in the Knoxville Track Club. Marsha is without question one of the most prolific, durable KTC racers of the last twenty years. Marsha finished in the top-3 overall in more than 100 KTC races, winning nearly half of those outright. Today, she still holds nine Tennessee single-age state records in distances between one mile and the 30k.

Marsha owned the KTC Grand Prix series in her prime and continues to hold the KTC record for winning the most female Grand Prix championships. Awarded annually to the top overall runner in KTC events, her amazing Grand Prix record is as follows:

  • Overall Woman’s First Place Ten times (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
  • Overall Woman’s Second Place Four times (1999, 2007, 2008, 2012)
  • Overall Woman’s Third Place Once (2009)

Without question Marsha has been the most consistent female competitor over the last twenty years. No other runner is close in overall Grand Prix Series wins.

Chuck Pate

In 1977 Chuck and his wife Barbara moved from North Carolina to Knoxville. Chuck was a heavy smoker but with the encouragement of his family was able to quit. He began to walk and trot around his neighborhood in early 1980s. He and Barbara joined the KTC where both were active members until 1995 when Chuck’s employer transferred him to Montgomery, AL.

During his time as a KTC member Chuck was instrumental in both the road racing and track and field events staged by the KTC. He was active in helping with the summer youth program and cross-country events. He was a long-time member of the Long Distance Committee and served for ten years as the race director of the Smoky Mountain Marathon. He served on the KTC Board of Directors for several years including a term as Vice President. For service to the club in these capacities, he and Barbara were recipients of the 1987 Ginny Canfield Service Award. Chuck and Barbara hosted numerous KTC social events, directly impacting retention and growth in a very positive manner.

Chuck was an important member of the timing crew in the days before computer controlled automatic timing – after being replaced by technology, he became an enthusiastic member of the vault crew and participated in many major championships at Tom Black Track including the AAU Junior Olympics, the USATF Mobile Championship, USATF National Junior Championship, NCAA Division One National Championship, and multiple SEC Outdoor Championships. He also traveled to other SEC schools to serve as vault official, always wearing his KTC Volunteer Jacket!

He is retired after 50 years in insurance claims and continues to live in Montgomery where he much enjoys walking.

Gina Rouse

“Get out fast, pick it up in the middle and kick it in at the end.” Gina Rouse has taken her dad’s early running advice to heart with a career that has been filled with accolades that are a result of her commitment and passion for the sport. In fact, running has been a common thread that has tied Gina’s other passions together over the course of the last 30 years. She first began running soon after moving to Knoxville with her family in the late 1980s. What began as a few early runs with her dad, Carl Recher, built into a blossoming scholastic career with the KTC Youth Athletics program and Farragut High School where she was coached by among others, fellow KTC Hall of Famer Brint Adams, Bill Parker and Kelly Ivens. At Farragut, she became state champion in the 3200 meters as a senior, still holding the school record of 10:55. She was a multiple time all state performer in both cross country and track.

Her stellar performance in high school parlayed into a scholarship offer to run for Bill Gautier at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Gina continued her success while pursuing an undergraduate degree in nursing. As part of the running Mocs, Gina won Southern Conference runner of the year honors and individual championship titles in 2001 in cross country and 2003 in outdoor track where she doubled in the 5000 and 10000. She was a part of the conference winning DMR in 2002 and all region in cross country in 2000. Her success was not limited to the running lanes as she was named an NCAA Academic All American in 2003.

Gina took a few years hiatus from running after college outside of some early dates running around the Hixson High school track with her husband to be, Matt. After completing her masters in nursing in 2010 in Kentucky and beginning their family in 2011 with oldest daughter Carlie, Gina returned to Knoxville and embarked on the next act of her running career filled with faith, family and fast running. She has enjoyed an 8 year run filled with over 30 KTC event wins, 11 state age records at distances of 1 mile, 5K, 10K, 15K and the marathon. Her most dogged pursuit has been in qualifying for the Olympic Marathon trials. After delivering her third baby girl in July 2015, she narrowly missed the 2:45 Olympic B standard by 15 seconds in January of 2016. She showed her grit by rebounding from this disappointment to win the first of 3 straight Covenant Knoxville Marathons a couple of months later. She then reset her sights on the 2020 Olympic Trials, qualifying with a time of 2:42:38 at the USATF championships at the California International Marathon in 2017.

As most who know her well would attest, her running is only a part of Gina’s hall of fame resume. She would consider her greatest passions to be her faith in Jesus and her family. She pursues these with the same dogged determination that has made her a great runner. Most days, as her family would attest, she spends her time loving her 3 daughters (Carlie, Lydia and Michaela) and husband, Matt. She has a passion to encourage and build up which she works toward through countless efforts to send a text, make a phone call, pray for, or go for a run with her extended family and running partners in KTC, Knoxville Endurance and around Knoxville. These things are the highlights that she would say have the most value.

Running PRs:

  • Marathon: 2:42:38 (California International Marathon, 12/3/17)
  • Half Marathon: 1:16:54 (Monumental Marathon; Indianapolis, IN 11/18)
  • 10-Mile 61:32 (Calhoun’s 10 Miler – Oak Ridge, TN 1/21/17)
  • 10k Road: 35:48 (Rainsville Freedom Run 10K – 6/17/17)
  • 5000 meter: 17:00 (KE Time Trials Webb School Track, 2/2017)
  • 5k Road: 17:00 ( Abbott Dash NYC Nov 4, 2017)
  • 3,000m: 10:11 (2014 – Niswonger Indoor Invitational Johnson City, TN)
  • Mile 5:01 (2017 – Thursday Nights at the Track Knoxville, 6/29/17) 4:59 1600m in practice 04/2018

Bob Winter

Bob Winter spent over twenty years as a key leader in the Knoxville Track Club. Bob was raised in Knoxville and ran Track and Cross Country at Holston High School. He then attended Milligan College where he was a four year letterman in both Track and Cross Country, serving as team Captain in 1969 and selected as All-Volunteer State Athletic Conference.

Bob received his degree in Health, Physical Education, Wellness, and Psychology in 1970 and went to work teaching at Carter Middle School and Holston Middle School for 30 years. During this time he coached the Track and Cross Country at Carter High School for 28 years and hosted the KTC Summer Program site at that location. He is also a past President of the Sigma Delta Psi national athletic fraternity. During this period Bob was a highly competitive open and masters runner at KTC events, including a top ten finish in the KTC Grand Prix series.

Bob spent many years serving in numerous capacities in the KTC. He served several years on the Long Distance Committee and was on the KTC Board of Directors for many years, including time spent as the Vice President, and he was instrumental in helping KTC bid for and stage the 1996d RRCA National Convention. Bob also spent significant time developing KTC events, including finding and developing the Strawberry Plains and Carter Mill race courses. He volunteered at countless track meets and road races, and he served as Race Director for the Autumnfest 8k, Carter Mill 8k, and French Broad River 5-miler. As part of this service, Bob is a recipient of the Ginny Canfield Memorial Service Award. In the words of longtime KTC Executive Director Allan Morgan, Bob Winter was “without a doubt indispensable in helping me do my job.”

Bob and Gail, his wife of 47 years, have three children and eight grandchildren. Their three children are all past Carter High School Track and Cross Country athletes, and they remain active in the sport through one granddaughter who is finishing her final year as four year letterman in Track at Seymour High School and two more granddaughters running in Middle School.