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Russell Hits the Ground Running (Jan. 2007)
 Tracey Russell came to the University of Virginia as a high school standout swimmer from Shaker Heights, Ohio, having just participated in the 1988 Olympic trials the summer before arriving on Grounds. She left the University four years later with an ACC Championship (’90), a degree from the College of Arts & Sciences (’92), and the skills to last her a lifetime.
“I learned early on as a collegiate swimmer that time management was essential,” says Russell, who is just settling into a new home in Atlanta and a new role as the Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club. She also learned the value of goal-setting. “I set goals now like I did as an athlete, for myself and for the organization,” Russell continues. “I have been very fortunate in my career and I attribute that to the discipline I learned being an athlete at U.Va.”
While breaststroke was her strongest event in high school, in college she gained an appreciation for versatility, for being versatile for the sake of the team. “I pushed myself in other events trying different distances and disciplines than what I had been used to.”
Working hard. Setting goals. Achieving the goals you set. That experience poised Russell to become the new director of the second largest running organization in the country, beginning January 1, 2007. Atlanta’s 10,000 member base is second only to the New York Road Runners.
Formerly as Director of Events for the Metro Richmond Sports Backers since 2001, Russell directed four major events in the Richmond (Va.) area. Among those events were the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, with more than 10,000 participants in three events combined, and the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K, a rapidly growing event that drew the capacity 21,000 participants in 2006, just seven years after its inception.
Russell was honored as Road Race Director of the Year in 2005 by Road Race Management, the industry’s leading management organization and has served on the Board of Directors of Running USA the past two years.
In Atlanta, Russell will direct about 20 race events throughout the year, one of which is the prestigious Peachtree Road Race, the largest running event of any distance in the country and the world’s largest 10K. The 55,000-participant capacity easily fills in a week, with registration beginning the third Sunday in March. This year marks the 38th running of the race, to be held on July 4th in Atlanta.
Russell, a true people person, says she has put her Virginia education to use everyday since her graduation. “My psychology degree has helped me to better understand the best ways to work with people,” she explains. It’s provided a fundamental background to help her know how to understand people. That, too, will serve her well as she manages a staff of 10 in her new position in Atlanta.
Drawing again from her swimming days, Russell reflects, “Teamwork is critical. You have to work well together as a team to put on an event for 55,000 people.” Russell enjoyed a great rapport with a strong staff in Richmond and she looks forward to working with the staff in Atlanta as well.
“I believe my athletic and academic experiences at U.Va. helped me to be well-prepared for a lot of life experiences.”
–Sara Hunt
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