2018 Hall of Fame
Hank Brown
Hank Brown was club President 1991. Brown is also a past Split Times editor & column writer of “The Back Streets” as well as a past club equipment manager. Brown won the Outside Runner Award 1988, Race Director of the Year 1990 and Race Director of the Year 1993.
Brown was director of the 1993 Eastman 10K when it was the USA Track & Field Men’s 10K National Championship Race. He was also the Eastman Race Director for 1994. His running accolades include personal-best times of 15:37 in the 5,000 meter distance and 32:39 in the 10,000 meters. Brown holds TN State Running Record for 10K age 39 of 33:41 and 3K age 48 of 10:41.
He previously chaired both the Men’s and Women’s Long Distance Running Championship Committees of USA Track & Field. Brown was also previously team manager for USA national teams for World Cup Marathon in Athens, Greece, and Yokohama Ekiden in Yokohama, Japan. He was on the Kingsport Greenbelt Committee for several years when several new sections were added.
Brown is perhaps best known as the co-founder and longtime race director – 29 years – of the Crazy 8’s 8K in Kingsport. The Crazy 8’s race previously held road world records for both men and women and helped put Kingsport on the map in the eyes of elite runners. But perhaps the greatest contribution is that Crazy 8’s helped introduce many beginners to running.
In 2010, Brown, along with his wife, Natalie Whitlock, started We Run Events, an event management company that puts on a number of races in the area. In addition to providing race management/timing services for many local races, We Run Events was proud to be one of the timing partners for the 2011 New York City Marathon, and is currently one of the timers for the Kiawah Island Marathon.
Hank and Natalie work closely together, and through their different perspectives, try to make each event a fun and unique experience. They are passionate about helping organizations put on a very professional event as well as successfully raise money or awareness for their cause.