THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ron RuhS
PRESIDENT
THE HITCHCOCK EXPERIENCE
A perennial back of the packer, Ron enjoys spending time on the trails with friends. The highlight of each year has been race directing the Hitchcock Experience 13.1/50/100 mile races where he and all the volunteers get to help runners accomplish their goals. Whether playing guitar in a punk band or trying to finish another ultra, he’s glad for the friendships made in the trail community. Ron currently serves as treasurer on the GOATz board.
Brady West
Community Partnership
DIZZY GOAT TRAIL RUNS
Brady was born in Nebraska and raised in Florida. He first began his running career in high school and then picked it back up again after college and the birth of his son. One of his first races back into running was the Lucky Bucket 5K. He moved on to the Omaha Half Marathon, and from there it spiraled out of control. He’s always loved running, but realized trail running was his passion after running the Dizzy GOAT 3/6/12 Hour Trail Race in 2015. He is responsible for all of the GOATz swag and Branding. Brady has always been a GOATz supporter and runner, which makes him the perfect addition to the team. This outdoor-lunatic, environmental-friendly, running-addict is a great addition to the board!
John Orr
Trail Maintenance
John was a scholarship track hurdler in college and began running 10K races after college in the 1980s. Having moved to the country in the 1990s, John took up hobby farming, trail riding horses and baling his own hay. He enjoys clearing and mowing trails, donating the use of his tractor and equipment to keep the trail open to enjoy. He likes to volunteer to mark trails for GOATz races and manning aid stations. He is always looking for volunteers to help on trail clearing days.
Jody Green
Vice President,
Community Partnership
Supporting the running community is very important to Jody, who has been running and volunteering with the GOATz since its inception. She was volunteer coordinator for both Dizzy GOAT and GTR from 2013-2017 and has volunteered in some capacity with the group’s other events throughout the years. You just never know where or when Jody will show up. Her best friends are GOATz and bugs (she’s an entomologist)
TJ Ernst
Secretary
TJ is a husband, father and aspiring trail enthusiast. Many years ago, he landed on the GOATz board because he printed a couple hundred hoodies. He is a glorified fundraiser by day and a professional enabler by night. TJ once finished a 50 miler in a blizzard, but now he runs like the winded. His brainchild is the GOATz Gravel Classic, an event recommended by 8 out of 10 people who recommend things.
Bruce Barnhart
Trail Maintenance
Bruce Barnhart has been involved with the GOATz board since 2013 and provides legal counsel. He is a winter-loving, adventurous GOAT, who is usually off in the mountains of Colorado. Bruce is an exclusive trail runner, gravel road cyclist, cross country skier, ice skating, chilled out dude. You might know him as the GOAT who first introduced the group to the hidden dirt trails right under our noses at Lake Z. By day he’s an attorney, by night he’s probably climbing a mountain. One thing is for sure: if you get to hang with Bruce, it’s always an adventure.
Joan Miller
Treasurer
Joan’s bio and headshot will be coming soon. Just know that she is INCREDIBLY appreciated for her work on the GOATz’ accounting!
Mindy Coolman
Community Partnership
CROWN OF THE CREST
Mindy is one of the race directors of Tails ‘n Trails, with her primary role being designing and marking for race day. Mindy also assists with course marking of other GOATz races, and is the Hitchcock Experience course expert. Mindy is also an ultrarunner herself, completing over 50 ultras with 9 of those (so far) being 100s. Mindy is also a dietitian and takes great pleasure in fielding questions related to nutrition and ultrarunning. Mindy sits on the GOATz board as part of the Community Partnership subcommittee.
Vanessa Urbach
Communications
FEAST & FEATHERS
Vanessa discovered running in the winter of 2011 and hasn’t looked back since. Running has opened many doors for her including: weight loss, stress relief, friend making, sister bonding and has even placed her as a co-race director for Feast and Feathers, secretary of the GOATz, and a board member for the Omaha Running Club and Keep Kids Alive Drive 25. She is also a 2015 MS Run the US Relay runner, a 4x Chicago Marathoner, a 4x 50K-er who hopes to one day balance motherhood/life and ultra-training again to tackle a 50 miler.