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Joel Gaff and his family — wife Laura and their two little girls — have spent the past several months in Portland, Ore., adjusting to quarantine life while juggling parenting with jobs in healthcare (Laura) and in the running and endurance sports industry (Joel). (Listen all the way through to hear an adorable interaction with Joel’s daughter Hazel, age 2 1/2, and Penelope, age 1 1/2).
As the co-founder and owner of Endurance Evolution, a race management and timing company, Joel and his team, like so many others, got creative this spring and summer with their race events — they’re behind events like the Traverse City Trail Running Festival, Glen Arbor Solstice Half Marathon & 5K, and the Sleeping Bear Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K, the latter of which is still on as of now. This meant transitioning to virtual races and creating all-new events — a couple with real-time engagement from Joel and his team. New virtual events included the Backyard Ultra, The Mitten Run, and The Oregon Run, as well as the Lake Michigan Ride, a cycling event.
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Joel, who also serves as race director of IRONMAN 70.3 Traverse City, shares how he’s been staying active, what it’s like to not have an IRONMAN on his own training schedule this year, and just how many hours a week he can actually work with two adorable little girls underfoot.

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A special thanks to Mike Moran, Mike Youker and Jonny Tornga of Quarter After Productions in Traverse City, Mich. for producing the show.