Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

The Gate River Run, the US National 15k championship, is scheduled for Saturday, March 2, in Jacksonville, Florida with at least one Western student in attendance.

Wyatt Smith will graduate from Western at the end of the Spring term of 2024 as a Political Science major. Commentating for the upcoming event is another huge step in Smith’s future.

“Commentating is what I’ve always wanted to do,” said Smith. “I’ll be in the back filming the race, and then every mile we’ll be checking in. I’ll be discussing main storylines of the race, the prize money, the USATF pool, who’s in the lead, who’s falling off, expected winners — that sort of thing.”

Listed on gateriverrun.com, the website boasting the event alongside Smith’s employer Runnerspace, is a prize fund of $58,000. 2024 will be the 30th year of Gate River Run hosting the event — which Smith will be in attendance for thanks to Runnerspace.

Smith, with a history of directing race events, will still be jumping headfirst into new territory with his first commentary ever on the world-class event.

“I’m pretty invested in the sport,” said Smith. Smith himself is a track athlete — running the 15 and 8.

The first pro athlete to win first place in either the women’s race or the men’s race will win a grand prize of  $12,000, decreasing in funds until tenth place at a prize of $500. All finishers in the 15k will receive a medal.

The event will not be hosted live, but snippets will be uploaded afterward to www.usatf.tv.

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu