Joey was an incredible Masters’ runner who won the LA Grand Prix, LA Masters 10K
Championship and was a force in every NOTC race that he ran. He finished in the top 500 of every Crescent City Classic that he participated in and in his final year of CCC participation he and both of his sons finished in the top 500.

He was also the unofficial mechanic for the NOTC van and kept it running much longer than it should have, saving the club lots of money.

Notable finish times include a 16:38 at the 1983 Finish on the Fifty 5K, a 35:02 at the Kenner Irish/Italian Classic 10K, and a 1:19:36 at the Ole Man River Half Marathon.

Besides all of the above, Joey is also an unselfish person who helped out at races when he wasn’t running and was a founding member of the Tchoupitoulas Social Aid and Athletic Club.

John has been an active member of the NOTC for 30 years and was an elected board member and vice president for a number of years. He was a member of the Hall of Fame committee from its incorporation until 2019.

John was the start and finish line coordinator for races and was involved with the development of the Big Easy Big Heart 5K which raised money for the New Orleans Mission. John’s dedication to achieving goals is evidenced by his qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2007, after 15 years of trying.

John always helped in whatever way was needed and he always had the NOTC’s best interest at heart. John was always one of the first people to show up at the races. John is so passionate about making the club the best it can be for its members and all runners who come out for the races.

John’s proudest accomplishment was bringing a modest proposal by Jim Marsalis in 2012 to produce an event benefiting Prostate Cancer Research at Tulane’s Cancer Center a reality. The event, first run in 2014 has generated over one million dollars for prostate cancer research, and generated over $80,000 for the NOTC for their role in promoting this event.

Rudy Smith has been a prominent figure in New Orleans Road racing for more than 40
years. In addition to his competitive achievements, Rudy is recognized for his consistently positive support and encouragement towards all participants on the racecourse.

Rudy is a former NOTC board member who has completed a marathon on all seven
continents.

Seven continent Marathons:
1. Quebec City Marathon - Quebec Canada
2. Fin del Mundo Marathon - Ushuaia Argentina.
3. Antarctica Marathon – King George, Antarctica
4. Athens Marathon - Athens Greece
5. The Great Wall Marathon - Beijing, China
6. The Gold Coast Airport Marathon - Gold Coast, Australia
7. Mt Kilimanjaro Marathon - Moshi, Tanzania

He continues to advocate for the NOTC as a Gretna City Councilman. Rudy completed an Ironman Triathlon at the age of 68, two Escape from Alcatraz finishes, and three NYC triathlon age group wins.

He was recognized as a People’s Health Champion in 2014. He has participated on two USA Duathlon World Championship teams, earning a bronze medal in 2015 and a silver medal in 2017. Rudy is the only Louisiana runner to have completed the Disneyworld marathon every year for thirty years since its inception.

He also competed in the NYC Empire State Building Run Up, climbing 86 floors (1,576 steps) in twenty-two minutes and forty seconds. He received the coveted Abbott World Marathon Majors medal in 2022 for running the six major marathons in the world.

Abbott World Marathon Majors Medal:
1. Chicago Marathon
2. New York City Marathon
3. Boston Marathon
4. London Marathon
5. Tokyo Marathon
6. Berlin Marathon

Tom has been running competitively from the age of 23. He became and stayed a recognizable competitor and race leader at local area races. Tom won the NOTC Grand Prix a number of times, and in 1994 won Jackson Day, Turkey Day, and was Runner of the Year as designated by Jeff Hannusch, running writer for the Times-Picayune.

Tom was one of the founding members of The Tom Sawyer Mississippi River Run in August 1994. The race raised a lot of money ($100,000+) over the years.

Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans was the sole beneficiary. The last Tom Sawyer Mississippi Run was Sept 6th 2015 - 22 years. 

Tom was on the NOTC Board of Directors before Katrina & after Katrina 2005-2006. 

Some notable race times are: Al Briede Gold Cup 3 mile in 14:44, ECMO 5K 15:14, Turkey Day 5 mile 25:22, and Cajun Cup 10K in 31:36.