Tom and Mary Anne McBrayer

How long have you been a HARRA member? : Since HARRA began, and before that we were active members of the USATF Long Distance Running (LDR) committee here in Houston. So we have been active volunteers since 1970.

Are you a member of a running club? : We were founding members in 1975 of Houston Masters Sports Association and have been with the club since then.

Volunteering experience: We began putting on races for RRCA and LDR in the early 1970’s. We directed a number of events but were most active with course measurement, finish lines and results. Tom became LDR (and then HARRA) equipment chairman in 1981, and at that time Mary Anne was coordinator for LDR’s series of fall and spring runs. We worked the first Houston Marathon (Tom also ran it.) and were inaugural members of that board — Mary Anne for 25 years and Tom for 30 years. We have been active with the Warm-Up Series since its inception (19 years) and are most active with the 25K. The Bayou City Fun Run (now the BC Classic) began in 1976 and we were pleased to join that board for a number of years. Mary Anne became less active about 8 years ago when her work at University of Houston became more demanding. Tom is still seen at all HARRA finish lines and still manages equipment for the organization.

Tell us about you:  We had five kids when we began to run.  When Tom moved from a very active job to a desk position, he felt the need for some exercise and in 1966 joined the East End YMCA where there was a fledgling running program.  It became something we wanted to share so Mary Anne began running a couple years later.  We began running in Memorial Park before there was a trail.  We and a couple dozen other early runners actually made the trail by killing the grass running around the park.  We continued to run until the early 1980’s when early arthritis of the knees put an end to it.  We both biked and swam for a while and now it is stationary bike and weights, though Tom still bikes as he measures courses. 

Tom’s favorite running event was his first — a relay marathon in 1969 sponsored by the old East End YMCA in MacGregor Park.  (There were a lot of runs in that park in the early days.)  Mary Anne likes to remember the days when she (at age 38) ran in a category called “Males 17 and under.”  She remembers writing a letter which resulted in a category called “Females.”  There were no age groups in that category. 

What we miss most about running is traveling to and running marathons around the country.  We always made a short vacation out of it and it was a way to see different places we might not have otherwise traveled to. 

Tom enjoys jazz and classical music, woodworking and working on his 1973 MGB.  Mary Anne likes to build miniature rooms and does lots of needlework.  We enjoy our children (one living in Houston and three in Austin) and our five grandchildren (one in Houston and four in Austin). 

What attracts you to volunteering and why?   Most people volunteer because they feel they should give something back to the sport.  When something becomes so much a part of your life and you can feel so much benefit from it, it seems only fair to give in return.  There are probably a lot of people who would volunteer if they were asked but the sport needs you to “just do it,” to just step up on your own.  We don’t know you’re out there unless you contact us.  The best part of volunteering in such a large organization is the great people you meet, work and socialize with.

What is your favorite event/race to volunteer for and why?  Tom enjoys working the HARRA events, the Just for Kids, and just about any race.  Mary Anne now limits her volunteering to the Bayou City Classic, the Warm-Up Series, the 25K and the Houston Marathon.