[Author’s Note: This is the seventh of an eight-part series in AJW’s Taproom called Race Director Chronicles, where we profile the unsung heroes who make our sport’s racing possible.]
Libby Jones is the proprietor of and race director for The Lively Joe, which produces six races yearly within the Dallas-Fort Price metroplex of Texas. The Lively Joe, which is concentrated on the demographic of “the typical joe” who will get energetic, was based in 2010. The Lively Joe has a powerful deal with inclusivity and bringing range to race beginning traces. Notably, The Lively Joe is a longstanding sponsor of the Western States 100.
I not too long ago sat down with Libby to speak about her work and races.
Andy Jones-Wilkins: How lengthy have you ever been directing extremely/path working occasions?
Libby Jones: I’ve been race directing for 17 years and began once I was simply 26 years outdated, however these had been all highway races at first. I began path working myself in 2011, and in 2014, I made a decision I needed to create a 100 miler at this lovely path system in Dallas. It was the primary 100 miler in North Texas and after two years of tremendously unfortunate torrential rain, I used to be struck with extra dangerous luck – the venue got here below a property dispute by a number of landowners solely six weeks earlier than the race.
I scrambled to discover a course some place else that I may love and that’s the way it turned the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run, which has a 100 miler, 100 kilometer, 50k, 25k, and 5 miler. I nonetheless produce highway races, and I’ve just a few different path races too, however Dino Valley is my signature occasion in path working.
Libby Jones of The Lively Joe. All pictures courtesy of Libby Jones.
AJW: What’s the most satisfying facet of your work as a race director?
Jones: After all I need to say the grins, the tears, and the satisfaction of the runners on the end line once they obtain some aim that I helped create the chance for them to pursue. However for me, I additionally do lots of work within the subject of inclusivity, range, and fairness, and it feels fantastic listening to from folks that the vibe at my races is all they hoped it might be. That they really feel protected. That they really feel like everybody really desires them there. The path working neighborhood as an entire is all about that, however we nonetheless have lots of underrepresented teams within the path world who need to really feel just like the area was created for them.
AJW: What makes working in Texas and the encircling areas so distinctive and particular?
Jones: Individuals don’t anticipate us to have the wonder and vertical achieve that we’ve at a few of our trails right here. I get shocked reactions every year since so many go to from out of state for the Dinosaur Valley races. “Texas is meant to be flat.” They think about prairie and ranch land. As a substitute, like I say on the web site, the course is rolling hills, rocks, roots, and all collectively about 9,000 ft of elevation achieve within the 100 miler!
We even have a big ultrarunning neighborhood, which I believe on the nationwide stage nonetheless will get ignored lots. There are lots of eyes on how huge California and the U.S. Pacific Northwest are in ultrarunning and path working, however there’s a lot occurring right here. Dinosaur Valley wouldn’t be 600 runners if it wasn’t — and there are numerous Texas races placed on by many race producers, and runners present up!
AJW: What are the three greatest challenges you face as a race director?
Jones: I believe each race director ought to embrace of their listing to reply the query of “expectation administration.” I talk lots by the race web sites, and I take advantage of our social media channels extensively. For Dinosaur Valley, I produce a 27-page runner handbook with each diagram, map, and piece of data I can consider in a single place. I’m huge on private accountability for runners to know what they’re stepping into. I believe as ultramarathon athletes, we’re actually good at strategizing, planning, and having a plan B/C/D/E when issues go awry, however that begins with realizing what to anticipate while you arrive on the race.
Misogyny and bigotry is one other huge problem for me particularly. I’m in a really conservative state, producing occasions the place I’m extremely welcoming to numerous faces and experiences that may really feel uncomfortable for some individuals. Loads of ultramarathons are produced by males with males in thoughts simply naturally, as a result of that’s their expertise. In the meantime, final 12 months’s Dinosaur Valley 100 Mile finishers had been 45% feminine, the 100k was 37% feminine, and the 50k was 42% feminine. In a world the place most ultramarathons are about 20% feminine illustration, this could create a really completely different really feel at a race. I do encounter lots of sexist, racist, homophobic, and transphobic feedback, critiques, and pushback regularly, however I really feel strongly in regards to the optimistic actions I take to deliver underrepresented teams to the beginning line!
Lastly, I might say the climate, in fact! Over time, I’ve handled hail, thunderstorms, flooding, drought situations, file warmth — we hit 90 levels Fahrenheit in November for the 2017 Dino Valley — and twister watches. You do the most effective you possibly can, however in the end that’s one factor that’s simply out of our management!
Libby Jones (proper) race directing.
AJW: What adjustments have you ever seen within the sport because you started directing occasions? Constructive? Damaging? Each?
Jones: On the optimistic aspect, there’s a lot extra consciousness of path working and of ultrarunning. Additionally, I used to be within the highway world once we had been nonetheless making an attempt to get highway half marathons to hit 50% feminine. And now we’ve extra ladies exhibiting up on trails, and it’s nice to see that progress.
On the detrimental aspect, I’m uncomfortable with the elevated massive company possession that firms like UTMB are bringing to race manufacturing. I really feel like I watched this with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Operating Sequence on the highway race directing aspect. And I’ve had an organization are available in and attempt to do my course at my venue six weeks earlier than one among my highway races. It appears like your laborious work is swiped out from below you. I additionally don’t need us to lose the essence of the game, which is about neighborhood and that private contact. I additionally battle to really feel that the quantity of runners I’m seeing put onto some singletrack path by the most important company races will be good for that space’s trails and ecosystem.
AJW: What are you trying ahead to most within the 2023 t0 2024 occasion season?
Jones: Fingers crossed, I’m hoping that the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run will change into a qualifying race for the Western States 100. I fell in love with the Western States 100 again in 2012 once I volunteered in a single day in a wetsuit at Rucky Chucky, waist deep all night time within the American River. So I acquired to see a excessive proportion of the runners that 12 months, and I felt so impressed. My firm, The Lively Joe, got here on as a Western States 100 sponsor in 2014, and I’ve now traveled from Dallas to attend the race for 9 years. I’m additionally fortunate sufficient to get to be one of many individuals onstage 12 months after 12 months on the lottery pulling names. So it might be a dream for the extremely I created and that I like to get to be a qualifier. The race has grown from 200 in all distances years in the past to now 600 anticipated this 12 months. We thought we had been going to hit our aim final 12 months, however we had unusually chilly temperatures with in a single day being beneath freezing, and it actually damage our finishers fee! Even when we meet the variety of finishers we want, we gained’t know till subsequent September, however I’m optimistic!
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Lakewood Brewing Firm in Dallas, Texas. Lakewood’s signature beer, The Temptress, a silky easy Imperial Milk Stout, is a scrumptious chocolate and caramel taste bomb that’s finest loved at a leisurely tempo on a cold, late fall night within the Texas Hill Nation.
Name for Feedback
what to do within the feedback part! Go away your feedback about your experiences with Libby Jones, The Lively Joe, and Jones’ races.
Libby Jones on the Western States 100 end line.
