Kansas City Smoke

Hi, my name is Randy Wasinger, and I'm the Executive Director of the Kansas City Smoke, a competitive, post-collegiate track & road-racing club.

I'm definitely not the head coach, or even a coach at all. Think of me more as the current team "captain" and one of many guys and gals on the Smoke who is still chasing some sort of dream, whatever it may be.

I joined the Smoke in 2011 as a naive 35-year-old road racer looking for a new challenge, and hoping to find others as crazy about racing as I was.

Within a month, I witnessed a half-dozen guys piling into the cheapest hotel room in Ames, Iowa, all for the privilege of throwing on a pair of spikes the next day and toeing the line against college kids without a fraction of the responsibilties that these Smoke guys had back home.

I also heard stories of guys running 100+ mile weeks, sleeping in their cars the night before out-of-town road races, and shoveling 6 inches of snow out of lane one on a high school track in order to get their workout in.

Quite frankly, these guys were nuts.... And I felt right at home.

My wife and I support the Kansas City Smoke with our time & treasure because we're inspired by the collective dedication that fuels this group to train insanely hard for something uniquely great. 

We learned early on that that unlike other sports, there is virtually no financial support for competitive track & field athletes and road racers in the United States, let alone our local area.

While this fact was kind of sad, it also meant there was an incredible opportunity to do some good. And a little truely does go a long way. 

The Smoke recently set up this fundraiser page to make it easier for individuals and businesses to support its cause. 

I invite you to consider making a donation to the Kansas City Smoke and helping us further our mission. Please trust that whether your donation is for $1000, $100 or $10 that it's truly appreciated and will make an immediate impact on the careers of one or more Smoke athletes.

Our club is an affiliate member of the Road Runners Club of America, and through the RRCA we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, meaning any donations are tax-deductible.

If you have any questions about the Smoke, just send an email to randy@kansascitysmoke.org.

Thanks for your time and consideration. God bless!