Tom Coyne

Just Another Runner’s Story February 2024 By: Gale Fischer

Planting a Seed

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

—John Quincy Adams

The running community in and around Kalamazoo is fortunate to have an organization like Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR). Over the last two decades KAR has grown into one of the largest running groups in Michigan. KAR supports many local running events as well as offering numerous training and running groups for its members and all runners. Much of the growth that we have seen in terms of membership and participation in races and group runs can be credited to Bonnie Sexton who served as president for much of the last twenty years. Although her leadership has been instrumental in promoting our sport it certainly takes more than one individual to accomplish all of the milestones that the running community in Kalamazoo has seen over the last half century. Hundreds of individuals have given of their time filling board positions, being group run leaders, serving on race committees and leading less structured roles as a source of inspiration and support for other runners. It truly takes a community to keep running thriving. Although the current regime has fueled the running spirit, the seed for the running culture that exists in and around Kalamazoo was planted long before many of today’s runners were born.

Many local runners have probably never heard of Tom Coyne. Tom had a vision for organizing runners together in Kalamazoo back in the late 1960s. One of his goals may have been to surround himself with others to share his passion with and to compete with and against but  his intent was to make runners out of non runners, find current runners to come together and keep all runners interested in the sport for the long haul. Kalamazoo recently lost one of its greatest running pioneers when Tom traded in his running shoes for angel wings January 14. 

Tom was born and raised in Illinois, but would spend the majority of his life in west Michigan upon enrolling as a student and participating as an athlete for Western Michigan University (WMU) after graduating from high school. Tom grew up on a farm outside of Chicago. Upon entering his teen years he took an entrance exam to attend high school at St. Ignatius College Prep near the Windy City. He joined the school’s cross country and track teams and his running journey began. 

The summer after graduating from St. Ignatius, Tom participated in an AAU road race in Chicago, winning the five mile event. He struck up a conversation with another competitor after the race who urged him to enroll at WMU. This competitor convinced Tom that with his ability as a runner, he could get a full ride scholarship as a member of the WMU cross country and track team. Tom was so enamored by the words from this recruiter that he changed his plans of attending Loyala and enrolled at WMU. Although he didn’t get the scholarship he was banking on, he packed his bags and headed to Michigan. He seemed to fall in love with Kalamazoo and WMU immediately and he would spend much of the remainder of his life in the area. 

Tom earned his BA from WMU in 1955, becoming the first in his family to do so. Being a first generation college student was something he always took pride in. Upon graduating as a Bronco he and Monique (Jako) Coyne were married. They soon took up roots in Ann Arbor where Tom would complete his MA in history from U of M. He worked short stints as a purchasing agent in the paper industry and then as a sales consultant in the construction industry. Kalamazoo and WMU remained in his heart and he and Monique eventually moved back to the area, with Tom joining the WMU staff as the Alumni Relations Director before moving into the position of Vice President for Student Services. He remained in this position until retiring in 1992. 

During his time as a grad student, his time in the paper and construction industry and his tenure as a WMU administrator, Tom enjoyed being active in the community but also cherished time with his family. He and Monique were blessed with four sons and then later with four daughter-in-laws and seven grandchildren. Between the hours working and family time, Tom continued to run and was quite good at it. Although running on his own sustained him, he craved another element from his sport. He wanted to share his passion with others. Local runner, Blaine Lam, became one of Tom’s running partners and competitors. Blaine speaks of the friendship that he and Tom had and the presence that Tom has had in Kalamazoo’s running history. “Tom was one of the first people I met when I moved to Kalamazoo. Over the last fifty years we have been friends through running and through other facets of the Kalamazoo community. He has always exuded the spirit of inclusion that was at the heart of the running club from the get go. He had a charm about him.”  Both Tom and Blaine were  members of the Mall City Pacers which later became the Kalamazoo Track Club. “He helped to organize and host Thursday night races. The site of many of these races was the Old Arcadia XC course which was WMU’s XC course.  He was a competitor and we raced against each other. He was open and friendly but he also lived a disciplined lifestyle, especially as a runner. I can remember seeing him on the track in his eighties still doing intervals.”

Blaine, like Tom, took on a leadership role in the local running community. Blain gave of his time with his  involvement in the Borgess Run which has spanned many years. Distances for this race have included 5K, 10K, 15K and half marathon. The marathon distance was eventually added with Blaine taking on the responsibility of laying out the course. “When I designed the first Kalamazoo Marathon course I made sure it went by Tom’s house so he could be there to spectate.” The significance of bringing a marathon to Kalamazoo was huge. Blaine felt it was very important to have the course go through Tom’s neighborhood. “He was always supportive of the running club with its members and provided  leadership. He was just a good guy.”

Terry Hutchins, another local athlete, has taken on Tom’s spirit over the last thirty years as a competitive triathlete and also as a leader in the runnin"g community. Terry reflects on what Tom has meant to runners in Kalamazoo. “In the late 1960s Tom and Jim Shafer organized a running group they called the Mall City Pacers.They were good runners and they wanted to have a group like minded individuals to run with. The club wasn’t big and held steady with around twenty five members.” It wasn’t just adult novice runners that Tom devoted time and energy to. “He was a huge supporter of the WMU running programs. He would volunteer  for XC and track events that the WMU teams competed in. He wasn’t necessarily an organizer but always worked behind the scenes.Tom also devoted his time for the broader running community. He enjoyed writing and was the editor for the Roadrunners Club of America for its first twelve years of organization. He really had a deep love for running.”

Tom influenced many other future leaders in the local running community including Chris Lampen Crowell. Chris ran as a high school athlete for Loy Norrix High School. He would continue as a competitive runner at the next level as a member of WMU’s cross country and track teams. Tom would become a mentor for Chris during his college running career. Chris reflects on his memories of Tom. “I met Tom through WMU Cross Country and Track. Tom was involved with student athletics and would come to all of our meets. He was a great supporter of WMU athletics and one of our biggest cheerleaders.”  Not long after the turn of the century WMU cut their men’s XC and track programs. This was a hard pill to swallow for many with ties to the men’s teams, including Chris and Tom. “When the men’s program was cut in 2003 he campaigned to have the program brought back but it didn’t work.” As Blaine and Terry shared, Tom’s commitment to running for all levels was something that Chris also witnessed through the years. “Tom was a critical part of the Kalamazoo running community. He was supportive of student athletes and runners of all paces. He was present at many races and training runs and he would always provide a smile and a hand shake. I always knew that every runner would get positive support from him.” 

Chris later went on to open Gazelle Sports in Kalamazoo as well as other locations in west Michigan. Gazelle Sports was a strong supporter of the running community from the start. Chris shared a story of the opening of his store with a Tom Coyne twist. “The day that Gazelle Sports first opened he came in early before we opened to purchase a pair of shoes. He was our first paying customer.”

Technology has had a huge impact on running in the last two decades with GPS powered watches and chip timed races but the social element of running has also been impacted because of this technology. Organization of races, running groups and runners communicating with one another wouldn’t be where it is today without social media. Tom was a pioneer before social media and his vision planted the seed that has grown into what running is today in our community including the social element. Tom is like the pebble that is tossed into a pond, creating a ripple effect. He had a knack for bringing individuals together and getting others to assist in organizing and helping out with anything tied to running. Local running events such as the Kalamazoo Classic, the Kal Haven Relay and Girls on the Run of Kalamazoo County are all examples of bi-products of what Tom started years ago. The Mall City Pacers transitioned to the Kalamazoo Track Club which later evolved into KAR. Would running still be as popular as it is in Kalamazoo if not for Tom? It likely would be but we are still grateful that this high school runner from Illinois was influenced to come to WMU to run instead of going to Loyola. The seed that he planted has flourished.

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.