If you’ve been running in Jacksonville for a while then you’ve probably seen Coach Paul McRae.  He is easy to spot on the road, at one of the many local races, or training with his Personal Running Solutions (PRS) groups.  Paul’s biggest asset is his passion for running and his desire to help others discover their running potential.  Paul is currently employed by Jacksonville’s Child Guidance Center as a therapist helping area youth.  He loves his job and utilizes his skills as a counselor within his coaching.  It only takes a few runs with Paul to discover that his greatest talents lie outside of running.  PRS’s runners keep coming back because of his abilities to listen to his clients and encourage them to take ownership of their success.

Paul has competed for 15 years as a professional runner both internationally and nationally.  He was selected to represent his native home, New Zealand, in World Mountain Running Championships in the 1993, 2001, and 2004.  He also earned a position on the New Zealand’s Oceana Championships team in 1990.  He has earned many local achievements include winning the 2005 Jacksonville Track Club Male Athlete of the year.  Paul is regularly on the podium for winning many of the local road races in Jacksonville.  He has also been as high as second in the Jacksonville Bank Marathon when he set his personal best of 2:27:50.

Paul McRae earned a running scholarship to Western State College of Colorado (WSC) where he studied Psychology and Therapy.  Paul’s undergraduate running achievements include competing in the 5000m on the track at the 2002 World University Games.  Paul was part of WSC’s national team which competed in four consecutive NCAA Division II cross-country championships, a first at any division at the NCAA Championship.  WSC finished as high as 7^th during the 2003 season.  One pivotal achievement at WSC was his third place in the 5000m.  Paul shares this NCAA Division II Indoor honor with his WSC teammates who finished first through sixth.

His coaching career began in 2004 when he graduated from WSC and was given the opportunity to work as an assistant coach.  In 2005 Paul moved to Jacksonville to pursuing a Master’s in Counseling at the University of North Florida.  As a UNF Graduate Assistant, Paul coached the university cross country and track teams for two and a half years.  His runners excelled and in 2006 one of his runners won the Conference Championship in the 800m. Paul fell in love with the city of Jacksonville, but saw a need within the running community to help local runners of all levels.  In 2007 he began Personal Running Solutions to promote the sport he loves and is passionate about.  He continues to race often and can be seen fighting for the win with other local elite athletes.

Life time Personal Bests:
Mile – 4:05
5K – 13:57
10K – 28:53
1/2 Marathon – 64:35
Marathon – 2:27:50

Keith Brantly:

With a running career spanning three decades, many experts consider Keith Brantly to be one of the most successful Long Distance Runners in United States distance running history.  Keith has enjoyed successes in national and international competitions at distances from the mile to the marathon.  His accomplishments include:

• 1996 United States Olympic Team Member, Marathon.
• Five-time U.S. Olympic Trials participant for 5K, 10K and marathon, competing in a total of seven event trials.
• Twelve-time member of United States National track, road racing and cross-country teams.
• Eight-time United States National Roadracing Champion in the 10K, 20K, 25K and marathon.
• Lifetime personal bests include: Marathon 2:12:31, Fifteen kilometers 42:50, Ten kilometers 28:02, Five kilometers 13:36, 1500 meters 3:40.7 (3:58 mile)

Keith conducts inspirational and entertaining motivational seminars for corporations and special interest groups on topics related to health and fitness.  As a successful specialist in healthcare sales, Keith inspires sales teams and organizations with meaningful and practical formulas for success drawn from his years of successful athletic competition.  He especially enjoys speaking to children and young adults, encouraging them to start and stay involved with sports and recreational activities and stressing the importance of strong leadership practices.

Keith’s volunteer service includes a term as President of Florida Track Club, volunteer coach for Best Buddies and motivational speaker for the American Heart Association.  Twice he has appeared on the cover of Runner’s World magazine.  He is also a member of United States Olympic Team Mentoring program.  Keith is also a proud board member of the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, 26.2 with Donna.

In 2005, Keith was inducted in the Road Runners Club of America, Hall of Fame; in 2004 he was inducted in the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame.