RJ and Claire, the Race Directors, met during their graduate studies at the University of South Florida in 2007. Their love of fitness, competition, and fun brought them together to start a creative project on their own. They decided to launch 5K races that families could do together to create lasting memories, while also giving back to charity. The Great Mother’s Day Race launched in Tampa, FL in 2012, and The Great Father’s Day Race followed on June 16, 2013 at Al Lopez Park in Tampa, FL.
A small bit of history…In 2013, the Great Father’s Day Race had 230 participants in Tampa only. In 2014, the race grew to Sarasota, and the family fun race drew over 750 total participants total that year. We’ve experienced year over year growth, and people look forward to this family tradition; we’ve even seen four generations of family members at the events. 2017 marked the 5th Anniversary of this local 5K favorite! The race directors hope to continue growing and be the premiere Father’s Day event in Florida in 2022!
About Us
RJ Huebert– RJ is originally from Erie, PA and from an early age has been active, starting with playing ice hockey, and then graduating to long distance running. An avid runner, he has completed four marathons, all at Disney World, and multiple half marathons, as well as 5Ks. It was through this love of running that he knew that he could give back to the race community in the form of excellent events. Currently, RJ lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his amazing wife, Taylor, and his chocolate lab Coco. He runs a digital marketing firm called HBT Digital Consulting.
Email RJ at robert.huebert@greatfathersdayrace.com
Claire Selius– Claire has moved around most of her life, but spent her younger years in snowy Ohio. She grew up playing almost all sports, but got involved with ultimate Frisbee at Edinboro University and found her favorite. After captaining the USF women’s Frisbee team for 2 years, Claire now plays on various club teams in the Tampa Bay area. Florida was a dream, and then Claire got into USF for grad school. It was then she found her brother from another mother, RJ. Running is a hobby to stay in shape, but RJ would smoke her in any race. She currently lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Email Claire at claire.selius@greatfathersdayrace.com