Noah Matthews

How long have you been a HARRA member? : 4 years, currently a member of the VVIP committee.

Are you a member of a running club? : I am a member of the Houston Striders and the Houston Masters Sports Association (Houston Masters, HMSA)

Volunteering experience: My volunteer activities have been for both my Running Club (Houston Striders) and HARRA. The primary volunteer activity I have been involved in has been coaching for the HARRA PIM Running Clinic for the past 4 years. The coaching has truly been a Rewarding volunteer experience. There are other, minor items; I see that the Striders Running Club, Home-Away-From-Home (tent) is at all functions. I understand that the focus of my volunteer activity as a member of the HARRA VVIP committee (along with John Phillips) will also be to see that the HARRA Traveling Shelter(s) will always be in place to offer shelter form the Heat and the Rain and a place to rest after races

Tell us about you:  I am 65 years old, semi-retired but continue to work as a Petroleum Engineer Consultant. I am originally from WV, have lived in Houston since 1982 and wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. Two children; Christopher, a pilot for Continental Express, and Diana a real estate mortgage broker. I have always liked outdoor exercise; hiking, biking, running and swimming. I became more serious about the running in 1999 when a friend persuaded me to join her for the HARRA Power-In-Motion (PIM) running clinic. That gave a programmed schedule and structure to my running efforts and led the way to my participation in the local area races and eventually to Houston and Boston Marathons. Two things I can mention about my running experience; It has given me another, good excuse to travel (probably my First, Most Favorite sport ..!) to other places, participate in the out-of-town race events, visit new running venues and meet other runners. The other thing about running (and it is the Best Thing) is all of the people that you meet and the friends you make (literally all over the world) through the running community activities.     

What attracts you to volunteering and why ?: I believe volunteering is something you never think much about unless you have a vested interest in the activity. And if the activity is important to you, then your participation should be broad enough to include some time to support the overall, collective effort that make all “people” activities successful. Like others, I would also encourage every runner to offer some of their time to volunteer for the “work-behind-the-scenes” that makes our Houston Running Community one of the Best in the country.

What is your favorite event/race to volunteer for and why ?:  It would either be the 20K or the 25K as part of the Houston Marathon Warm-Up Series. Volunteering for these races helps out on a couple of  levels in my case since the Striders put on the 20K and the Houston Masters put on the 25K. I think my efforts are doubled here, and I like that .. !