Gar Williams, the inspiration for the Club’s December half marathon, died on Jan. 15, 2024, in Flagstaff Arizona, just two weeks shy of turning 91.
Gar was a titan in running. He was president of the DC Road Runners Club when the Club started the Cherry Blossom, now the premier 10 mile race in the world.
His health had suffered since a stroke over two years ago.
He was also president of the Road Runners Club of America for three years in the 1970s, and was instrumental in getting the IRS to grant nonprofit status to
running clubs. This status was crucial since it allowed clubs to pay reduced postage for mailings, a significant savings in the days before email and the internet.
An excellent runner, he was a U.S. national marathon champion, winning the Amateur Athletic Union championship in 1965. He ran almost every day, according to his family.
He worked as a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, and left the D.C. area for the agency’s Denver office several decades ago.
He played the cello in orchestras in Colorado and Arizona. After retirement he taught English to non-native speakers.
He even wrote a textbook on what he described as non-linear dynamics, Chaos Theory Tamed, which sounds like the goal of any race director.
He is a member of the Halls of Fame of both the DCRRC and the RRCA.
His family recommends that anyone wishing to donate in his memory do so to the RRCA.
You can read more about him here and here.
Fun fact, the headquarters of the RRCA overlooks the Custis trail in Arlington. Look for a yellow sign in the window of the red brick building a block west of the vacant hotel in Rosslyn.
