Jeff Salyer

Hometown:

Cleveland, TN

Occupation:

Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Lee University

What is your running "origin story?"

About 10 years ago I ran a 5K with my church and some of my friends at church were also preparing for a Ragnar Relay race and asked me to be on the team. I loved the whole experience and immediately began training for a half marathon. Completed that and began the journey to a marathon. There was some time between these but not much. I ran 4-5 marathons and the same amount of halves then jumped into the ultraworld with the Vol State 500K. Since then, I've been running mainly trail races with a smattering of marathons and the Cleveland Half mixed in with 50Ks and a 50 miler.

Best/worst/funniest memory from a race?

There are too many to name, but on the Vol State race, which took 8.5 days to complete, Duane and I were sleeping/napping in the parking lot of a gas station in Shelbyville. We arrived at 2:00 am and needed some good gas station food. A mother and son walk in. He's about 9 and he begins yelling he wants a "cold drink" as he holds up a Monster Energy drink. The mother yells back you don't need that and he kept repeating "But I want a COLD drink" and it just struck Duane and I as hilarious in our sleepless state. A not so fond memory is in my first 50k the race also had a half marathon trail. At mile 18 they ran out of water at some of the aid station because the half runners took it all. Matt Ryerson and I were about to quit and lady spectating went to her van and pulled out a pack of water to give to the runners and we stayed, but we had to ration. We finished the race but it was miserable.

Why do you choose to represent Terra Running Company as an Ambassador?

Terra is the most knowledgeable, kind, local, community-centric running store I've ever been in. I love the team and representing their values to the world.