When the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) hosts its 2026 Cross Country Championships at Dordt University on November 7, the competition will provide an opportunity for something beyond finishing times, team scores and individual honors.

Defender Discussions with Mike Jay 

The championships will also serve as the launching point for a new conference initiative, GPAC Gives Back, with a shoe drive benefiting the Track Guy Foundation and its efforts to provide new athletic footwear to Iowa youth who might otherwise be unable to participate in track and field or cross country.

The initiative will encourage participating teams, coaches, student-athletes and fans to bring a new pair of track or cross country shoes to donate. The footwear will be collected by the Track Guy Foundation and distributed to young athletes in Iowa whose families face financial barriers to purchasing the shoes needed to participate.

Mike Jay, perhaps best known as the voice of the Drake Relays and Iowa high school track and field, will be on hand at Dordt for the championships and to help promote the effort.

"I will be there, and I'm excited for that and to be a part of all this," Jay said during a recent episode of Dordt's Defender Discussions. "The GPAC is just starting this, and the inaugural event is going to be with the GPAC Cross Country Championships. We are very, very honored and humbled to be a recipient."

For Jay, the Track Guy Foundation grew out of a desire to return something to a sport that has provided a lifetime of opportunities and experiences for him and his family.

A 1977 graduate of Columbus Community Schools in Columbus Junction, Iowa, Jay spent nearly 30 years coaching at his alma mater. His passion for track and field began as a high school student when his coach, Ken Purdy, invited him to attend the 1975 Drake Relays.

His brother was competing, and the opportunity to attend the event introduced him to an experience that would become a lifelong passion.

"I went in 1975 and heard Jim Duncan announce," Jay recalled. "I went back to the state meet with the team again in '75. We were state runner-up, and I was absolutely hooked."

He hasn't missed a Drake Relays or Iowa high school state track meet since and in 2003, he was asked to become the Drake Relays announcer, beginning another chapter in his involvement with the sport. Over the years, his work has expanded to include coverage of track and field and cross country throughout Iowa, particularly following athletes as they move from high school competition to the collegiate level.

The connections and relationships developed through the sport eventually led to a conversation with his family about finding a meaningful way to give back.  Jay and his wife, Renee, have three sons, Sam, Joe and John. They encouraged him for several years to establish a foundation that would help young athletes experience the opportunities track and field and cross country had provided their family.

The Track Guy Foundation officially completed its organizational paperwork in October 2018 and began its work in 2019.

"I knew we needed to because the sport has been so good to our family," Jay said. "But I fought it off because I'm very humble, and I didn't want to use my name as a way to perhaps ask people for donations in our support. They talked me into it."

The foundation initially set a goal of providing 25 pairs of new shoes, including training shoes, track spikes and throwing shoes, to Iowa students whose families could not afford the footwear.

That modest goal has grown considerably.

The Track Guy Foundation has now provided more than 2,000 pairs of new shoes to young athletes. The foundation also established a scholarship program that initially aimed to provide one $500 scholarship to a graduating high school senior involved in track and field or cross country who did not plan to compete at the collegiate level.

That program has grown to nearly 100 scholarships, with the 100th expected to be awarded in the spring. The foundation's impact is measured not simply in the number of shoes distributed or scholarships awarded, but in the opportunities those gifts provide.

"It's been so rewarding and so heartwarming for us to know that perhaps we're playing a small part in getting kids involved," Jay said.

Jay believes track and field and cross country offer something important to young people, regardless of their competitive ability.

He has followed thousands of Iowa athletes throughout his career and takes particular pride in seeing them continue their athletic journeys at the collegiate level.

He points to the strength of Iowa's collegiate programs across the NCAA and NAIA levels and appreciates the opportunity to watch athletes develop from high school competitors into college student-athletes.

But his appreciation for the sports goes beyond championships and record performances.

He shared the story of a junior high student at his alma mater who had set a goal of running four miles without stopping. The young man wasn't necessarily destined to become a varsity runner, but his teammates rallied around him, encouraged him and celebrated when he accomplished his goal on the final day of practice.

"To me, that is a huge reward," Jay said. "Every kid is important. Every kid can go out every day, do their best and improve."

That philosophy is central to the Track Guy Foundation's mission. Providing a pair of shoes may seem like a small gesture, but it can remove a significant barrier for a young person who wants to participate. Jay also appreciates the nature of cross country, where improvement can be measured in ways that extend beyond the finish line.

"The clock doesn't lie," he said. "You may not place well in a race, but you can look at it and say there's been improvement. You're running against yourself. You're running against last week, last year."

For him, that opportunity to establish goals, work toward them and experience personal accomplishment is one of the great benefits of the sport.

The November 7 GPAC Cross Country Championships at Dordt will provide an opportunity for the conference community to put those values into action.

Through GPAC Gives Back, teams and fans are encouraged to bring a new pair of track or cross country shoes to donate to the Track Guy Foundation. The foundation will then distribute the footwear to Iowa youth who need assistance.

Those unable to bring shoes to the championships can also contribute financially through the foundation's online donation page.

Donations can be made at:
Track Guy Foundation – Donate