When Stumptown Running Calls: The Lore of PNW Track & Field
Tom Rothenberger, head coach of Jesuit High School cross country and track and field, watches athletes warm up at Nike Cross Nationals NXN 2025. Rothenberger is the owner of Stumptown Running and serves as the race director for the Nike Jesuit Relays. Commercial sports and editorial photography engineered by Russell Moore Photography in Olympia, WA.
"I stumbled onto your website and thought it might make sense for us to connect."
When I received this in an email from the legendary Tom Rothenberger (Jesuit/Stumptown Running), I was surprised and, honestly, a bit nervous.
At the end of the cross-country season, I created a handful of race hubs for the larger invites I was planning to cover during the 2026 Outdoor Track and Field Season. Not only would this allow me to easily share with athletes and their families where I would be, but it would also offer a landing page for me to highlight specific athletes, articles, and more.
Russell Moore Photography displays the digital race hubs for upcoming 2026 track and field events in Olympia, WA, to provide athletes and families with centralized access to photography coverage and articles. Commercial sports and editorial photography engineered by Russell Moore Photography in Olympia, WA.
I keep an eye on my website statistics daily, and many of the pages I built receive organic traffic day in and day out. My immediate assumption was that Tom was annoyed that I had driven traffic to my own site. The tone of his email didn’t necessarily read that way, but my anxiety was still flashing in the corner.
We set up a time to hop on a Zoom, but Tom was on the road and quickly texted saying he would call me instead. He rang around 8:30 PM. To be honest, I'm usually in bed at this time, watching a show with my wife before nodding off.
As we started to chat, I gathered my laptop, headed to my room, and opened Microsoft Word to take some notes.
Our conversation started with Tom explaining why he had to skip the video call. Once we got to the meat of the matter, it really boiled down to Tom wanting to help me, help him. He wanted to ensure that I had information as soon as it dropped as we moved towards the actual date of the meet. This mindset is one that many business owners, creatives, and leaders struggle with. Sometimes you can feel helpless, or like someone is trying to ride your coattails, but really, they are trying to uplift you.
Tom’s primary goal was to refine some information, discuss the upcoming race, and to open the door with support for what I was trying to do.
High school track and field athletes compete in the final leg of a relay race at the 2025 Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays at Jesuit High School. Runners representing Sumner and other programs are shown crossing the finish line with batons in hand before a crowd. Commercial sports and editorial photography engineered by Russell Moore Photography in Olympia, WA.
The Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays is one of my favorite races of the year, and I have been very vocal about that. The conversation we had focused mostly on the race itself, but also covered the logistics, the history, and the upcoming changes. There are some things that people just can't fake; hosting races of this caliber is a hard job, but Tom clearly loves every minute of it.
After we wrapped up the phone call, my wife commented that she was surprised by how happy I sounded. I love talking about track and the deep lore that surrounds the running community.
If you are interested in learning more about my race hubs and calendar for the 2026 outdoor season, you can find the links below. As the season moves on, I am tracking top athletes, freshmen, and national rankings to ensure that everyone who is achieving top marks is getting a moment in the spotlight.
