Frisco, Texas – Race production and running outreach company The Active Joe moves into its fifth year as a sponsor of the Western States Endurance Run and is excited to announce Pam Proffitt Smith of Salem, Oregon as its 2018 sponsored athlete.
The Western States Endurance Run is the oldest and most well-known 100 mile race in the United States, running along the Western States Trail from Squaw Valley, California, to end in Auburn, California. The Active Joe owner Libby Jones attended and volunteered at the 2012 race and fell in love with the event. A race producer herself, Jones was also impressed with the mission of the non-profit Western States Endurance Run Foundation. In addition to helping set standards in the organization of 100-mile endurance events, they promote trail stewardship and emphasize their role through maintenance and support of the Western States trail. The WSER Foundation also supports medical research into ultrarunning that helps the sport and the community.
As part of the sponsorship, The Active Joe chooses a sponsored athlete each year from the qualified runners who apply to the lottery, and the chosen individual receives an automatic entry. For 2018, Pam Smith, of Salem, OR, will be representing The Active Joe.
Pam Smith embodies the attributes of many of the participants at The Active Joe events. She lives a busy, fulfilling life beyond running. She balances her running with a career as a pathologist and her time with her active family. She and her husband enjoy big backpacking trips together, and the two of them have taken their 2 pre-teen children to visit the majority of the National Parks in the Western United States as it's important to them that the children develop a respect for the land and for conservation. The whole family regularly enjoys camping and hiking together.
Pam gives back to our sport, something that is important to The Active Joe brand - being a productive part of the running community. She has volunteered at many races in the Pacific Northwest and participated in trail work parties to maintain and build trails in her area. She served as a camp mentor for Team Red, White and Blue's Trail Running Camp for four years. And she has given her time and expertise through journalistic means too, writing articles for iRunFar and more future articles planned for UltraRunning Magazine.
And in addition to all of this, she is a driven woman who exhibits discipline in her training and humility in her racing. Pam is a six time member of the US 100K National Team and was the 2010 100K National Champion. She was a member of the US team at the 2017 24 Hour World Championships where she placed 5th and set the Masters American Record.
Pam is the current course record holder for the Angeles Crest 100 Miler, a tough ultramarathon in Southern California. Her running accolades go on and on. And we really appreciate that, in the six years she has run it, she has seen the Western States course at one time or another how the entire gamut of the field has seen it - from winning overall female one year (2013) to finishing just a little over an hour from cutoff (2012). Pam is humble about the fast race days and resilient and thankful for the ones where she just put her head down, got it done, and finished. This is another reason we are happy to be sponsoring THIS Active Joe in our community!
"Western States is an extremely meaningful race to me as I feel it has shaped me not only as a runner but as a person," says Smith. "At Western States I learned grace in disappointment and gratitude for success beyond my wildest dreams. And all along there were connections that were made with so many great people. All of that leaves me with the strongest desire to return after a two year hiatus." Pam's ultimate goal is to earn the highly esteemed 1000 Miles (ten year) buckle.
Pam placed second in the Spartathlon (153.6 miles) in 2016
“I’m happy that we can continue to support this historic ultrarunning event and therefore support the sport as well,” Jones said. “I look forward to getting to know Pam better these next 7 months and seeing her at the start line in June!”
Info on Past/Future Sponsored Athletes:
June 2019 event: Kelli Coleman of Dallas, TX
June 2018 event: Pam Smith of Salem, OR
June 2017 event: Jess Mullen of Seattle, WA
June 2016 event: Michael Wagner of Albuquerque, NM
June 2015 event: Robert Lopez of Seattle, WA
June 2014 event: Jennifer Kimble of Dallas, TX
The Active Joe was founded in 2008 with the mission of providing running outreach to the local community. The organization produces 3 trail events, including North Texas' first 100 mile running event, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100 Mile, 50 Mile, 50K, and Half Marathon each November. The company also has 4 road events and between road and trail, the company caters to 7,000 participants annually. All events are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. Owner Libby Jones has been an active member of the leadership of the Dallas-Fort Worth running community for many years and is an avid ultrarunner herself. For more information go to www.TheActiveJoe.com.
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