our conversation with NEIL WEINTRAUB

One of the most influential contributors to the Flagstaff community took the time to chat with us at one of his favorite trail spots near Sinclair Wash along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System. Neil Weintraub, who is the cofounder of Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association (NATRA) and director of the Summer Series as well as an archeologist for the Kaibab National Forest, shared his thoughts about his roots, recent retirement, and admiration for the running community.

You grew up in New York, went to college in Iowa, and settled in Flagstaff. How have those three places linked your passion for running?

I was always an athlete, but my passion started in baseball. I had a love for running, but I could not be coached. I wasn’t that fast and the workouts for cross country were just brutal. I thought “I don’t need this! I can run on my own time at my own pace!” My passion for running came from my next-door neighbor who started a local running group for older gentlemen in Scarsdale called “The Scarsdale Antiques.” My neighbor convinced me to join this group, and I even signed up for the Scarsdale 15k every year throughout junior high and high school. 

 I went to college in Iowa and I had a great time running in the cornfields. I was a math major, in fact the plan was to coach baseball and teach math back in New York. I switched my major to Anthropology and I was missing a credit. My professors offered to take me to Flagstaff for a summer to get that credit. I will never forget my first run in Flagstaff. I was doing my sprint up Campbell Avenue and I couldn’t breathe. My professor gave me a brown artifact bag to slow down my breathing. That was the last time I ran that summer. During my senior year, I applied for and scored an internship at the museum up here, so I came back. I knew all I wanted to do was run. I thought it was heaven. I found the running community back then, and I was doing all of the Flagstaff road and track races. That’s where it all started.

How is your transition to retirement? 

Because of the pandemic, we switched over to a virtual format for the series. It made me realize that I can actually race these races! My first virtual race was the Four on the 4th, and I got addicted to it. While I was wrapping up my career, I had a 200 mile month, which is the most I’ve ever ran. 

I’m still very engaged with archeology. I have about fifty volunteers throughout the Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, and Williams area looking after archeology sites, so that’s keeping me busy.

With your dedication to volunteering, how has retirement and COVID impacted that part of your life?

There have been so many new opportunities. I think everybody is hungry to get back on the courses together, but there will be a handful of people who won’t  be comfortable in that situation. The virtual races will not stop. I think there will be a great opportunity through the winter for creative fundraisers and free events to keep the community engaged. The pandemic was an eye-opener.

When NATRA decided to switch to virtual races, did you know how much effort it would require?

Not a clue. I thought it would be simple, but it ended up being a great thing. The biggest challenge was the virtual series, but the funny part about planning a virtual race is that it requires a lot more work than a normal set up. The Big Brothers Half and Soulstice took the longest amount of time. I had to map all the courses out myself. It normally takes about two and a half hours to lay out Soulstice, but this year it took up a whole day.

It seems there is not a whole lot of relaxing even though you are retired now. Is that okay with you?

Now that I’m not driving to Williams and back, I get an extra two hours in my day. I’m using that time to run. I’ve been running and feeling good again. I’m also doing all the things I love to do.

What’s next for you?

Right now it’s about putting on base miles and staying healthy. Hopefully races will be back in June and we’ll go back to normal with the series. All of those things keep me busy, and I am looking forward to it without doing another job. It’s in the back of my mind, but I’ve thought about doing the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach run. I would be running from Flagstaff, across the Coconino, and finish on the Kaibab, where I spent most of my career. I figured that would be a fitting end.

What are you grateful for during these times?

We live in this incredible place and we have the ability to go out and social distance easily. I am grateful to be in a place where I feel safe. I think the people of Flagstaff have done their best in holding on and taking care of each other, and that’s Flagstaff, very resilient.

What advice would you give the younger people in Flagstaff who want to continue to preserve the culture that you helped build?

I think appreciating and delving into the history of this town is so important, in addition to exploring and getting to know people. It’s a hard place to live especially for young people, but if you make connections, get involved, and contribute, it can work.